Cave Of Treasures -- Vessel Of God

Mount Kardo

As you will recall, Sauniere’s enigmatic relief map corresponds to the Holy Land, which initially lead us to speculate that he was creating a “new Jerusalem” in the south of France, as other researchers have suggested. Such an idea, however, begs the question: On what grounds would this obscure locale qualify for the status of being a new Holy Land? Certainly the folklore connected to this region suggests that it has been considered a sacred place since ancient times, yet no one knows why. For what reason would members of the bloodline be drawn back repeatedly over the centuries to this secluded spot in the middle of nowhere? Dagobert II came here and is rumored to have discovered a fortune in gold which financed his kingship. Was his “discovery” mere serendipity, or could the treasure have been exactly what he was looking for? When his son Sigisbert was in danger, it was to Rennes-le-Chateau that he was taken for refuge. Legends testify that a sacred king was buried at the parish church, but such lore originated in a time so distant that no one remembers who the king was or when he lived. It is said that the goddess Rhea, a consort of Kronos, was somehow connected to Rennes-le-Chateau, and the village was once named Rhedae in her honor. And if it is indeed true that another well-known consort, Mary Magdalen came here, then the symbolic significance of this place spans many centuries. Taking into consideration the sacred geometry encoded into the region’s landscape, it would appear that the mystical importance of Rennes-le-Chateau may well reach back beyond the beginnings of recorded history.

All of this, taken together with an ever-mounting accumulation of clues and evidence, gave us pause to revisit a basic hypothesis from an altogether different perspective: What if Sauniere’s strange relief map was not, as is generally assumed, merely a bizarre attempt to proclaim a new Jerusalem? What if it constituted quite the inverse? All indications are that the antiquity of this region’s status as a sacred site far exceeds that of Jerusalem. Could it be possible that what Sauniere was attempting to communicate was that certain secrets and traditions historically considered to be connected to Jerusalem may have in fact had their origin here in the Languedoc? Believe it or not, legends tying the Languedoc region to events in the biblical narrative are not without precedent. In fact, one of the major episodes of the Old Testament was said to have played out here: the landing of Noah’s Ark.

We have already mentioned the seeming connection between that name of Pyrrha, the heroine of the Greek flood myth, and the Pyrenees mountain range. We have mentioned the idea that the Flood goddess - or the person her character is based upon - may have been buried beneath one of these mountains. And we have mentioned the apparent identity of the words “Pyrenees” and “Parnassus”, which would seem to suggest that one of the mountains within this range running through southern France may have been the actual resting place for the ark of Deucalion, the Greek Noah. Strangely, this is much the same idea subscribed to by modern followers of the “sleeping prophet” Edgar Cayce. One of Mr. Cayce’s proclamations was that Atlanteans fleeing the destruction of their homeland by flood escaped in boats, and eventually landed in the Pyrenees. Though accepting the testimony of a modern-day prophet may seem inadvisable, Cayce’s accuracy rate has been extremely high¹, and if his statement is little more than a pure coincidence, it is certainly a striking coincidence.

Returning to sources of a more historical nature, there are a number of alternative traditions in which the Ark lands in places other than Ararat. In several of these traditions, the place of the Ark’s repose is called “Kardo”, or “Kardu.” Such is the case in The Book of the Cave of Treasures, which says:

“... the Ark flew about for one hundred and fifty days, and it came to rest on the mountains of Kardo...”

This accords with a passing comment made by Ignatius Donnelly in Atlantis: The Antediluvian World, where he writes:

The Romans and the Persians called the line of the axis of the globe Cardo, and it was to cardo the needle pointed. Now ‘Cardo was the name of the mountain on which the human race took refuge from the Deluge... the primitive geographic point for the countries which were the cradle of the human race.’ (Urquart’s Pillars of Hercules, vol. i., p145.) From this comes our word ‘cardinal’, as in the cardinal points.”

To us, Donnelly seems to be indicating in this passage that Kardo may have been, in ancient times, literally observed as “the center of the world”, even being used to provide those people’s “prime meridian.” Thus it would be an ideal beacon and refuge for the pilot of an ark trying to navigate to the safety of its lofty peaks during a deluge.

The concept that the “mount of refuge” may have been called “Kardo” is of interest to us for a number of reasons. Firstly, because the very word itself is so distinctly dissimilar to “Ararat.” Secondly, a perusal of a number of ancient maps charting the region in which the Ark is usually presumed to have landed show no mountains (nor mountain ranges) called “Kardo”, “Kardu”, or anything sounding remotely similar.

There does exist, however, a mountain whose name indeed sounds incredibly similar: the previously mentioned mountain of Cardou near Rennes-le-Chateau. It is the highest peak in the region, and is even featured prominently in Poussin’s The Shepherds of Arcadia. As we have said, Cardou has been suggested by the authors of The Tomb of God to be the final resting place of Christ. And certain documents published by the Priory of Sion, some written by Pierre Plantard himself, suggest that something called “the Roseline” runs through Mt. Cardou - something which they insinuate was once the “prime meridian line” of the ancient world. If the Ark did indeed come to rest here, that would explain why such a point would have become “Ground Zero” for their measurement of the new, post-diluvian Earth. This could go a long way towards explaining the holy mystique that has been associated with this place for so long.

This idea receives further support from yet another Priory document, the previously-mentioned poem Le Serpent Rouge. The setting of the poem clearly takes place in Rennes-le-Chateau, and the main character is a mysterious “friend” whom the author describes as “...like the pilot of the everlasting Ark of Noah...” As the poem continues, it makes two mysterious references to “the line of the Meridian” (the “Roseline”). There is also repeated use of the phrase “deliver me from the mire, so that I do not sink”, another seeming reference to the Flood. Then, towards the end, the narrator states that the sky “opens its floodgates”, a clear allusion to the biblical Deluge. The poem seems to be saying implicitly that Noah landed near Rennes-le-Chateau. And this is a document written by the Priory of Sion itself! It is worth noting here the fact that one of the townships near Rennes-le-Chateau, spelled “Arques”, is actually pronounced just like “ark.”

This new take on the Flood myth begins to crystallize when we examine more fully The Book of the Cave of Treasures. It is highly unusual that a Christian text such as this should purport to chronicle an alternate landing place for the Ark, but there is much that is unusual to be found in this obscure apocryphal tome. And there is much to be found within its pages which seems to specifically relate to the mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau.

For all intents and purposes, The Book of the Cave of Treasures is a retelling of the biblical narrative, starting with Creation and ending with the Resurrection of Christ. It seems to have been intended as a genealogy, as indicated by its other title, The Book of the Order of the Succession of Families from Adam to Christ. Yet it is much more than a straightforward genealogy. More so than any other chronicle, it deals extensively with that mythic and enigmatic site known as “the Cave of Treasures”, a place purported to be a necropolis containing the bodies of the Biblical patriarchs. In rabbinic lore, obscure apocrypha and Jewish legends, when a patriarch dies, his family transports his body to the Cave of Treasures. There he is buried alongside his ancestors, in a secret tomb that is also a repository for sacred treasures. It is further hinted that the cave conceals an archive of sorts - one containing the most ancient “secrets of the Church.”

This mysterious place is first alluded to in The Book of the Cave of Treasures when God speaks to Adam, telling him:

“... command thy sons, and order them to embalm thy body after thy death with myrrh, cassia, and stakte. And they shall place thee in this cave, wherein I am making you dwell this day, until the time when your expulsion shall take place from the regions of paradise to the earth that is outside it. And whosoever shall take thy body with him ... shall deposit it in the spot which I shall show him, in the center of the earth...” [Emphasis added.]

From this passage it seems that the cave in which God is “making [them] dwell” is within “the regions of Paradise.” Furthermore, it would appear to indicate that these regions of Paradise are situated “in the center of the earth.” Yet almost immediately, the text continues: “And when Adam and Eve had gone forth from Paradise, the door of Paradise was shut, and a cherub bearing a two-edged sword stood by it.” Though the first passage is confusingly written, what it evidently relates is that the couple was in Paradise. In the second passage, Adam and Eve are suddenly outside of Paradise. Any confusion engendered thus far is then compounded by the very next sentence: “And Adam and Eve went down... over the mountains of Paradise, and they found a cave in the top of the mountain, and they entered and hid themselves therein.” We are surely meant to assume that the “mountains of Paradise” are synonymous with the aforementioned regions of Paradise, and that the cave referred to is the same as that mentioned earlier as being associated with the center of the Earth. Such an assumption seems to be borne out by the following:

“Adam took from the skirts of the mountain of Paradise, gold, myrrh, and frankincense, and he placed them in the cave, and consecrated it that it might be the house of prayer for him and his sons. And he called it ‘The Cave of Treasures.’”

The text seems to be deliberately attempting to establish two separate and distinct messages: that the Cave of Treasures is within Eden; and opposingly, that the Cave of Treasures is outside Eden. In due course we will explore the symbolic implications of this strange mixed message.

At any rate, when Adam had lived nine-hundred and thirty years:

“...the day of his death drew nigh... And he commanded his sons Seth and said to him... when I die, embalm me with myrrh, and cassia, and stakte, and deposit my body in the Cave of Treasures... And when Adam was dead his son Seth embalmed him according as Adam had commanded him... And they took Adam’s body up to the top of the mountain, and buried in in the Cave of Treasures... And Seth took Anosh, his firstborn, and Kainan, and Mahlalail, and their wives and children, and lead them up into the glorious mountain where Adam was buried... [and] they received the name, which is the best of all names, and were called ‘the sons of God’... thus they lived in that mountain in all purity and holiness...”

The emphasis added is ours. The text is unequivocally stating that Adam’s descendants lived inside that mountain. Not on it, but in it. This is not merely our spin on a passage that is vague or open to interpretation: the text is unambiguous. And why is this important? Because we have here an apocryphal biblical text that appears to verify a thesis which we are putting forth: that in ancient times, there was a mysterious race of people who dwelt inside mountains. As you will recall, these people were often thought to be gods. The passage just quoted referred to those who dwelt in the mountain as “the sons of God.” This is the term, as we know, that was used to designate the Watchers.

Another idea closely tied to this “holy mountain” concept is that of the “center of the Earth.” This is in no way analogous to a geographic center, such as many religions attempt to establish, proclaiming their holy cities to be “the center of the world.” The references to Adam’s body being deposited in the center of the Earth are uniformly specific. Not once does such a reference say “at” the center of the earth, but always “in.” We have explored at length those traditions (mystical, religious and occult) to which the center of the Earth was of great symbolic significance. The kingdom of Agartha was said to be in the center of the Earth. The tombs of Hermes, Osiris, Kronos, and Christian Rosenkreutz were said to be in the center of the Earth. So too, the sacred World Mountain, the Tree of Life, the Black Sun, the Philosopher’s Stone, the Emerald Tablet, and so forth. While this theme is fairly common in occult traditions, it has never constituted part of the mainstream Christian tradition. Indeed, Christian orthodoxy deems the underworld as being synonymous with hellfire and damnation. Yet in this Christian text, when God speaks to Adam of the center of the Earth, he tells him that “in that place shall redemption be effected for thee and all thy children.”

There are certain aspects of The Book of the Cave of Treasures that seem to retain a far more ancient - and far more concise - version of biblical events than does the canonized Old Testament. For instance, the deaths of the patriarchs are not merely mentioned in passing, but are recorded in precise detail. When a patriarch passes away, the book not only mentions his age and the age of his sons at the time, but includes such information as the month, which week of the month, which day of the week, and even the hour of the day. Could it be that the authors of this document simply concocted such thorough minutia to lend their text the seeming authenticity of a genuinely historical chronicle, or might they have had access to records both very ancient and highly accurate?² Whatever your conclusion, one thing is clear: there is much to be found in the Cave of Treasures which is nowhere to be found in the recognized canon.

Even following the death and burial of Adam, the paradoxical tenor of The Book of the Cave of Treasures continues unabated. It is said that his progeny “... suffered neither toil, nor fatigue, they had neither seed nor harvest, but they fed themselves with the delectable fruits of glorious trees of all kinds...” Does this language not sound identical to that used to describe the biblical Eden? Yet again we encounter a clear indication that the place of their habitation is Paradise, when presumably, they had long since been banished from there.

Adam’s resting place became the first sacred temple for all his posterity who would “minister before God in the cave of treasures.” So this place was both the first sacred temple and the first sacred tomb. It was also, as you’ll recall, a dwelling place for Adam’s descendants. What is being discussed here seems to be more than just a mere cave. We can probably assume that the temple/tomb portion of this compound was deemed so holy that it was maintained as a place separate and distinct from the living quarters. There are repeated references in the text which seem to indicate that the dwelling place within the mountain may have resided deep within its recesses. If this is true, the Cave of Treasures might possibly constitute an intricate subterranean complex not unlike those underground cities found at Kaymalki and Derinkuyu. It has been said that Rennes-le-Chateau (and indeed the region surrounding it) is “honeycombed” with caves and underground passages. Part of the lore of Rennes-le-Chateau asserts that Berenger Sauniere devoted a great deal of time to the exploration of this vast network of tunnels. And as with so many aspects of the mystery surrounding this place, no one seems to know who created these tunnels, or at what time. Perhaps not surprisingly, when we questioned locals at Rennes-le-Chateau as to the location of these passageways, they feigned ignorance as to their very existence.

Royalty, Priesthood and Prophecy

As with other versions of the biblical narrative, the coming of a great flood is foretold in The Book of the Cave of Treasures, albeit with a number of differences. Noah’s father Methuselah, laying on his deathbed, instructs his son to take the body of Adam along on the Ark:

“... get thee down from this holy mountain. And take with thee the body of our father Adam, and these three offerings, gold, and myrrh, and frankincense; set the body of Adam in the middle of the ark, and lay these offerings upon him.”

Methuselah, waxing poetic about the survival of Noah and his kindred in the face of universal destruction, he told his son that:

“... three measures of the... blessings which God gave unto your father Adam... shall be kneaded into your seed, and into the seed of your children, that is to say, Royalty, Priesthood, and Prophecy.”

The book’s description of Noah and his entourage descend to enter the Ark sounds more befitting a man being expelled from Paradise than one being saved from immanent annihilation:

“...and they went forth from the Cave of Treasures. And as they were coming down from that holy mountain they were smitten sorely with grief; and they wept in agony because they were to be deprived of that holy place, and the habitation of their fathers. And weeping painfully, and wailing sorrowfully, and enveloped in gloom, they said:

Remain in peace, O holy Paradise, thou habitation of our father Adam!

Remain in peace, O Cave of Treasures!

Remain in peace, O our Fathers and Patriarchs!

Remain in peace, O Haven and Asylum of the Angels!

Pray ye for the remnant of your posterity which is left.

And as they were coming down from that holy mountain, they kissed the stones thereof, and embraced the delectable trees thereof... and suffering sorely they descended to the plain. And Noah went into the Ark, and deposited the body of Adam in the middle thereof... wherein also all the mysteries of the Church were deposited..”

Again, the emphasis added is ours. This site that Noah is abandoning is referred to as “holy” no less than four times in a single page, and at one point, twice in a single sentence. It is referred to as a “holy place”, a “holy mountain”, and even “holy Paradise.” We have already suggested the thesis that the Flood and the expulsion from Paradise might in fact be one and the same event. The symbolism inherent in Noah’s abandonment of the holy mountain would seem to lend credence to such an idea. In due course, we will explore this hypothesis more fully; for the time being, however, we will resume with our narrative.

Before his death, Methuselah told his son Noah that when at last the flood waters had subsided, and the Ark had come to rest, he should instruct his firstborn to take the body of Adam and deposit it “in the center of the earth.” This is odd, because in literally every other reference to the center of the Earth, it is unambiguously identified with the Cave of Treasures. And in a bizarre tale describing the removal of Adam’s body from the Cave of Treasures, it is said that the bodies of the patriarchs began to “cry out”, protesting Adam’s departure. He assured them that he would return, “and bade them wait patiently.” Both episodes would appear to foretell much the same thing: that Adam's body would be brought back to the Cave of Treasures after the Flood.

For the most part, the details related in this text differ little from other versions. The moment the door of the Ark is sealed, the floodgates of the heavens are opened. As the text states: “and the foundations of the earth were rent asunder... And the Ark flew about for one hundred and fifty days, and it came to rest on the mountains of Kardo.” This, as you’ll recall, is where we started. In the course of our research, words and language have played a critical role. The etymology of names, place-names, and key phrases has frequently lead us to clues - or solutions to clues - which we might not otherwise have discovered. Consequently, when we encountered a mountain in The Book of the Cave of Treasures (Mount Kardo) which sounded nearly identical to the one found in Rennes-le-Chateau (Mount Cardou), we naturally felt that the circumstance merited further investigation.

Ordinarily, a place-name that sounds like another, in and of itself, wouldn’t seem to be of much significance. But this particular place-name is attached to a mountain peak which dominates a landscape steeped in mystery: A place associated with a hidden treasure. A place said to conceals the tomb of “an ancient sacred king.” A place thought to have been holy since ancient times. A place, moreover, already associated with alternate traditions concerning the Flood and the Ark.

Our first inkling that the Flood might somehow figure into the mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau occurred during our initial visit there. The shear quantity of imagery at the church relating to water or the sea seemed quite inexplicable. Then, during a morning walk near out hotel, we encountered an unexpected sight: a massive rock encrusted with fossilized sea shells and tiny barnacles. We were on top of a mountain, over a hundred miles from the sea, yet it seemed fairly evident that at some point this entire region had been under water. At the time we didn’t know quite what to make of our incongruous discovery, although it certainly influenced our thinking from that moment on. It is no doubt due to this strange rock, and the image it conveyed of Rennes-le-Chateau beneath the waves that we paid especially close attention to the unusual water imagery in Sauniere’s church. Though we weren’t yet sure exactly what to make of such symbolism, one thing was certain: it seemed to constitute a central theme of sorts in the church, and to our knowledge, not a single soul had ever passed comment upon it in print.

The Place of the Skull

More clues found in The Book of the Cave of Treasures that are relevant to Rennes-le-Chateau involve what supposedly occurred in the period pursuant to the Flood. As per the instructions of Methuselah, Noah tells his firstborn, Shem:

“When I am dead, go into the Ark, wherein thou hast been saved, and bring out the body of our father Adam... and place it in the center of the earth... and let no man have knowledge of what thou doest... take heed that this story is never mentioned again in all your generations...” [Emphasis added.]

Perhaps Noah’s warning about secrecy was intended to vouchsafe the location of the Cave of Treasures, which, as we have indicated, is synonymous with the center of the Earth. Shem set out, aided by Melchizedek, and both followed “the Angel of the Lord”:

“... And when they arrived at... the center of the earth, the Angel of the Lord showed Shem the place [for the body of Adam]. And when Shem deposited the body of our father Adam upon that place... the earth opened itself in the form of a cross, and Shem and Melchizedek deposited the body of Adam there [i.e. in the cavity]. And as soon as they had laid in therein, the four quarters drew quickly together, and enclosed the body of our father Adam...”

What is most interesting about this story is that the symbolism is identical to that contained in an episode of Grail lore set in the Languedoc region of France. We are talking, of course, about the previously-mentioned tale of Montsegur, in which a dove descends from the heavens, the top of the mountain opens up, and the bird drops the Grail stone into the center of the mountain. These two stories seem to constitute variations on a theme - a theme that would appear to symbolically connect the story of Adam both to the Grail and to this region in the south of France.

There is yet another salient detail central to Adam’s burial which may link this story to the Languedoc. The place where he was buried was thereafter called “Golgotha” (“the Place of the Skull”), because “the head of all the children of men was deposited there.” (Emphasis added.) Of course, the location of Christ’s crucifixion in the Holy Land is called “Golgotha.” What then would cause us to hypothesize that this Golgotha might be found in the south of France? Once again, we turn to the mysterious relief map custom made to the specifications of Berenger Sauniere at the time of his death. It was purported to be a map of Rennes-le-Chateau, yet the place-names depicted on it all referred to sites in Jerusalem: Gethsemane, the Tomb of Christ, the Tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, and Golgotha.

Remember that the construction of this strange three-dimensional map was one of the final acts of Berenger Sauniere’s life. Indeed, the priest died before he could even collect the completed work. This odd relic could very well constitute Sauniere’s final clue to posterity as to the nature of the mystery which he had devoted such a large portion of his life to. For us, this possibility seems far more compelling (and far more likely) than the other explanations that have been posited. Though we had initially embraced the idea, we find doubtful the theory that Berenger Sauniere was attempting to somehow create a new Jerusalem. Recall that at the time of his death he was - despite his great wealth - an obscure parish priest. His church was located in a very out-of-the-way part of France, in a town that was virtually unknown. Though today the mystery surrounding both his life and this region has reached mythic proportions, this has only occurred in the last quarter century or so. If he ever entertained the idea of giving rise to a new Jerusalem, he went to his grave with not a single prospect that such a dream might someday materialize. But he was indeed drawing parallels between Rennes-le-Chateau and Jerusalem by creating this map. If one looks at a modern map of Rennes-le-Chateau, and then compares it to an ancient map of Jerusalem, it is readily evident that the layout of the two correspond so much to one another that a connection could be drawn between them even without Sauniere’s relief map. And in fact, we had drawn such a connection long before ever knowing of the existence of the relief map. Sauniere had obviously gone to great lengths to redesign his domain so as to echo the spatial disposition of things in old Jerusalem. There was only one problem: the result, however elaborate, was far too subtle. Obviously, Sauniere could not be expected to foresee a time in which mass-marketed books about his own life would contain maps depicting both his own domain and that of the Holy Land. But the very fact that he devoted so much time to leaving clues demonstrates that he clearly expected the mystery surrounding his odd little church (and the legends of buried treasure) to generate curiosity at some point in the future.

In order to insure that the symbolic correlation between Jerusalem and Rennes-le-Chateau was not lost on future investigators of this mystery, Sauniere commissioned his map. He had already taken pains in the reconfiguration of his church and its grounds to establish this symbolic connection; his map would serve to draw attention to that connection. It is to be assumed that this map, initially meant to have been cast in bronze, would have become a permanent fixture in Sauniere’s church. Puzzled investigators, consulting both maps of Rennes-le-Chateau and of Jerusalem, could not have helped noticing the strange correlation. Had they been especially observant, they may have even noticed yet another correspondence.

Sauniere's map is understated and minimalist. It is defined by perhaps less than a half-dozen dominant lines. In terms of aesthetics, it is not particularly evocative. And yet - there is something about it which resonates with the unconscious mind. The general shapes depicted within it (as defined by paths or roads) seem somehow familiar. And the reason for their familiarity is simple: the shapes depicted on the map echo those contained in Berenger Sauniere’s altar painting of Mary Magdalen. One set of lines in the map mimics the mouth of the cave, while another set mimics the slender tilted cross within it. Though such similarities could represent pure coincidence, we find this possibility unlikely. Why? Because Sauniere lavished great care upon the altar piece, personally hand-painting it and making sure that each and every detail was just so. Likewise, the map was made to precise specifications. It was based on his design, and it replicates the details of his altar painting - a painting he considered to be the very centerpiece of his church. Furthermore, the shapes in these two reliefs only echo one another due to a very unusual circumstance: for Sauniere’s map to truly mimic that of the Holy Land, it would have to be turned on its side, with West becoming North, and North becoming East. When this is done, the map strongly resembles other known relief maps of ancient Jerusalem. What does not match up, however, are the maps’ shapes and lines. Strangely, these shapes and lines don’t appear to refer to anything found in Rennes-le-Chateau either. Could their primary point of reference, then, be Sauniere’s altar piece, the bas-relief of Mary Magdalen? And what are we to glean from the fact that the shapes within these reliefs correlate with one another only when viewed from an orientation that does not equate with that of Jerusalem?

Though authors never tire of stressing the importance of the Magdalen altar piece, virtually nothing of substance has ever been written about it. Speculations as to its possible meaning have been limited to vague generalities, such as: that the cross at which Mary is gazing “might represent” the continuation of Christ’s bloodline, or, there is a skull at her side “because she is often depicted with a skull.” We believe that the symbolism contained in the bas relief can be shown to have far more specific connotations than previously suspected, and that this symbolism is uniquely tied to the traditions surrounding the Cave of Treasures.

Aside from the obvious - that Mary Magdalen is shown inside a cave³ - the most clear-cut clue is the cross. It appears to actually be formed by a living tree, and is sprouting leaves at the top. There is a tradition in esoteric Christianity which says that the cross of Christ is synonymous with the Tree of Life. And according to this tradition, the location of that tree is inside the Cave of Treasures. So an image considered to be the very centerpiece of the church at Rennes-le-Chateau depicts the consort of Christ inside a cave, and staring at an icon explicitly connected to the mythos of the Cave of Treasures. And there is more. A number of observers, including André Douzet, have commented that the skull at Magdalen’s side is suggestive of an alternate legend surrounding the burial of Adam. In this version, only the skull is interred, and thus the renaming of the site as “Golgotha” makes even more sense. Though Douzet infers nothing from this odd association, it is in perfect accord with virtually every bit of evidence amassed thus far in the course of this chapter.

Let us recap: Sauniere makes a three-dimensional map, representing Rennes-le-Chateau, but depicting within it a location called “Golgotha.” His altar piece shows a cave, a skull, and the Tree of Life, all associated with Golgotha and the Cave of Treasures. We have demonstrated that the altar piece conceals the same pentagonal geometry linked to the landscape of Rennes-le-Chateau, and furthermore, that key shapes within it correspond to Sauniere’s map. We can only conclude, therefore, that the symbolism encoded in the Magdalen painting, and that contained in the map, both tell one aspect of a larger story, and that each must be viewed in conjunction with the other for the full picture to emerge. What clearly seems to emerge is this: the altar painting is emblematic of the Cave of Treasures, and the map represents Rennes-le-Chateau, while relating it to the idea of the Holy Land. As the two pieces were obviously intended to reflect one another, Sauniere’s message to us would appear to be that somewhere in the vicinity of his small parish, the legendary Cave of Treasures is hidden, waiting to be discovered.

The association of the Cave of Treasures with the word “Golgotha” is perhaps one of the most important clues pointing us towards this conclusion. The skull imagery occurs repeatedly at Rennes-le-Chateau. The archway above the gate to the church cemetery is dominated by a large Templar-style skull and crossbones. Directly above this Death’s Head at the apex of the arch is a cross. Though one might naturally expect to see these images in many cemeteries, this particular pairing (the skull and the cross) both reflects the imagery of the altarpiece and reiterates the notion of Golgotha. Even the very shape of the arch could be said to reinforce this idea, as it could easily be seen to represent a skull inside of a mountain whose peak bears a cross. The combination of the skull and cross appears yet again inside the church with the statue of Mary Magdalen on display there. The cross she cradles seems to be the same living cross/Tree of Life depicted on the altarpiece, and at her feet rests a skull.

Perhaps the most bizarre example of skull imagery we encountered at Rennes-le-Chateau was at the grave of Berenger Sauniere. Here there is a bas relief depicting his face in profile. Part of it has been smashed away, leaving a rather large hollow spot in his cheek. The resultant damage is so subtle that in the early morning hours it is barely noticeable. But as the Sun climbs higher, towards midday, a distinct shadow is cast that gives Sauniere’s face the uncanny appearance of a skull. At first glance the damage appears to be little more than a minor act of vandalism, but closer examination reveals that it almost certainly must have been purposeful. The effect it creates is far too subtle and far too precise to be the result of mere brute force. It appears as though someone set out with the specific intention of altering Sauniere’s portrait so as to suggest the appearance of a skull. What makes this particularly strange is that the relief doesn’t date back to Sauniere’s time, but is a fairly modern addition to his grave. Older photos and footage of the relief do not appear to feature this alteration, so it must have occurred somewhat recently. All of which leads us to ask: If this was intended as a clue, then who left it?

Were they trying to say that this is the real “Place of the Skull”?

The above-cited examples, when taken together, cause one to associate Rennes-le-Chateau with Golgotha, and therefore the Cave of Treasures. Could this really constitute Berenger Sauniere’s great secret: that the Cave of Treasures can be found at Rennes-le-Chateau? And was his map genuinely the final piece of a fantastic puzzle to which he devoted the greater part of his adult life?

Though such an hypothesis is certainly outrageous, it is no less so than countless other aspects of this saga, which (more often than not) border on the bizarre. It is certainly consistent with a great deal of the evidence we have uncovered - evidence which other authors have been at a loss to explain. And too, this hypothesis finds support in many of the long-standing legends of Rennes-le-Chateau and its surrounding environs, stating that an ancient sacred king lies buried here. It also matches up with the clues hinting that in the aftermath of a deluge, an ark came to rest here, navigated (once again) by a sacred king. Although many people who consider themselves enlightened routinely dismiss any biblical tale as being pure mythology, we have learned repeatedly that there exists a realm where myth and history intersect. Even the most wildly mythic tales can often be found to have had their origin in some factual incident. However imbued with symbolism, a good many of the biblical stories that have come down to us are based on some historical prototype, involving real events, real people, and real places. This being the case, what evidence do we have to contradict the thesis that certain of these events may have in fact occurred in the south of France? By in large, popular opinion concerning the events discussed, where they occurred, or even if they occurred, is a matter of belief. It is our belief that the Cave of Treasures is a real place, and that it lies hidden deep beneath Rennes-le-Chateau, or someplace nearby. The evidence which has lead us to this conclusion is admittedly strange, yet it is possessed of a fierce inner logic. There are a number of details, both in The Book of the Cave of Treasures, and in other esoteric texts, which seem utterly illogical except in the context of our hypothesis.

The location of the Cave of Treasures is described as “to the northwest” of the Holy Land. But a glance at a map will reveal that there is nothing but ocean northwest of Israel. However, if one were to draw a straight line going in a northwesterly direction from Israel, it would ultimately intersect with the Languedoc region of France. In a reference to Cain exiting Paradise, it was stated that he fled to “the forests” East of Eden. In the area of Turkey presumed by biblical scholars to be the historic setting of the Eden story, there are no forests. The landscape is arid, desolate, and strewn with volcanic rubble. Head due east of Rennes-le-Chateau however, and you will run into the forests at the foot of the Alps.⁴ It was said that one of the first things which Noah did upon coming down from the Ark was to plant grapes “to press into new wine.” The region around Mount Ararat is not exactly renowned for its vineyards. Rennes-le-Chateau, however, is virtually surrounded by vineyards. For perhaps fifty miles in every direction, wine production seems to be the primary industry. There are Templar wines, Cathar wines, and even a brand featuring Berenger Sauniere on the label. While such examples may fall well short of constituting compelling proof, they are nonetheless intriguing snippets of anecdotal evidence which support our thesis while seeming anomalous in the context of traditional opinion.

The Vessel of God.

If you travel around the edges of Europe from the North to the West, and then from the West to the South, you will encounter towns that seem to have Mesopotamian place-names. You will encounter peoples and cultures whose folkways differ from those of the nations in which they exist. Often such peoples live in close proximity to the sacred sites of megalithic times. In Brittany, the Bretons will tell you that they are not French. In the Basque region, the locals maintain that they are not Spaniards. In Sintra, Portugal, the inhabitants claim that they are “different” than other Portugese. In the Aquitaine region of the Languedoc, the story is much the same. So too, is what these varying people all assert: that they come from a far more ancient race than their fellow nationals from outside the region. All of this is very consistent with our primary thesis: that there are certain locales in Europe which retain vestiges of Sumer-Atlantean origins. Or, perhaps rather, that these places were once outposts of the Atlantean empire.

In Rennes-le-Chateau there are names which seem to specifically link the region to both Sumer and the Grail. Take for example, “Mount Cardou”, which can easily translate in Sumerian to “Mountain of the Vessel of God.”⁵ As we have stated, in a number of ancient tongues, the words “kar”, “kur”, “gar”, and “gur” meant “vessel.” The Sumerian words “di” and “de” were roots of the Greek “dios”, the Latin “deus”, the French “dieu”, and so on: all terms meaning “god.” And as we have explained previously, the word “Graal” translates to “Vessel of God” as well. Similarly, the name of nearby Montsegur (“Mon-Sag-Ur”) translates as “the Mountain of God’s Vessel.” In fact, the term “vessel of God” recurs incessantly in regards to key aspects of this mystery.

The theme of “Arcadia”, the ancient Greek version of Eden, has played an ongoing role in our researches, and we have already demonstrated that this term too means “Vessel of God.” Likewise, we have shown that the ancient Middle Eastern name for “Eden”, “Kharsag”, means “Vessel of God”, and “Chaldea”, the homeland of Abraham, can be rendered such as well.⁶ Even the word “garden”, so associated with Eden, can be shown to mean “Vessel of the Lord of All.”⁷ The “Vessel of God” concept embodies the Grail as both a sacred bloodline and a secret doctrine. It represents both the bloodline of the deified kings of the antediluvian world and the Gnosis they preserved - vestiges of the Golden Age. Thus, understandably, this phrase is found preserved in the names and places connected to this bloodline - places often associated with the primordial source. As a doctrine or idea, the Vessel of God is undoubtedly bound up with the science which constituted the secret Gnosis of the Watchers the sacred geometry that is a reflection (or emanation) of the divine. It is the Grail as a symbol of the elemental divine harmony according to which all things are ordered, but from which man has fallen

The word “religion” comes from “religio”, which means “going back to the source.” No more apt words could be found to describe the quest for the Grail: a return to the source; a rediscovery of the ancient principles which once served as the axis mundi of man’s life, and by which his perceptions, thoughts and deeds were defined; a rediscovery of principles believed to possess the power to bring man into accord with the mind of God. For the last few millennia (or more), man has been incapable of “going back to the source.”⁸ As the Priory of Sion asserts, even the ancient Greeks possessed no memory of where their gods originated. Modern Christians have even less awareness of their faith’s origins. The archetype of Christ as a dying and resurrected messiah was undoubtedly an ancient concept even in the time of Jesus. If mankind holds out any hope of revisiting the primordial source and becoming reacquainted with what it means, perhaps the key to it all lays interred in the Cave of Treasures.

In the course of our research we have traced the underground stream back through the history of mankind, and have come as near to the source as is humanly possible at this point in time. We have resolved many mysteries and solved puzzling conundrums. We have had the great fortune to be able to provide answers to a good many outstanding questions. Many of the questions that remain will only be answered upon the excavation of the Cave of Treasures. And what awaits us there? Undoubtedly, everything that we have thus far hinted at, and perhaps much more.

The cave may house a vast necropolis containing the bodies of mankind’s earliest kings - men who were the prototypes of our ancestors’ gods. It may hold an archive or library of information, the knowledge of which could lead to a complete rethinking of the history of our planet, and who we are as a species. It goes without saying that the ancient “mysteries of the Church” said to be secreted away there probably have little to do with orthodox religion. The rediscovery of the primordial faith of mankind could very well be the greatest treasure of all: a tangible means of “going back to the source.”

The 22 Code

So where is the entrance to the Cave of Treasures? We may know the answer. Very early on in the course of our investigation, we stumbled upon what seemed like the solution to one of the central mysteries of Rennes-le-Chateau: “the 22 code.” Throughout Sauniere’s church and its grounds, the number 22 is repeatedly encoded into things. Words are purposely misspelled so as to contain twenty-two letters. The Tour Magdala has twenty-two crenels. The skull at the entrance to the cemetery has twenty-two teeth. Researchers have gone to absurd lengths trying to divine the occult significance of the number 22, producing obtuse “explanations” which in fact explain nothing at all. We wondered if a simpler, more straightforward approach might be in order. We had noticed that the church and its surroundings seemed to be infused with symbolism pointing towards duality, or indeed, redundancy. There were two Christs on Sauniere’s pulpit, and two baby Christs at the front of the church (one held by Joseph, the other by Mary. The name of the Tour Magdala is also a redundancy, as the name “Magdala” means “tower.” Why would someone with Sauniere’s sophistication name one of his key constructions “Tower Tower” unless it was an indication of something? Bearing this strange theme of duality in mind, we wondered if perhaps the 22 code could mean that we should look for two sets of two. Almost immediately, we could think of a number of such sets: statues and other constructions around the domain that seemed to mirror or echo one another on some symbolic level. Enlarging a map of the church and its grounds, we marked the sets of landmarks. We proceeded to draw lines through the points indicated, extending the lines across the map. When we were finished, we had five sets of lines, all of which intersected at precisely the same point.

A strange coincidence? Hardly. We had followed obvious clues that had been purposely left by Sauniere. We had interpreted evidence according to the simplest possible means: logic. And as it appeared, we had gotten results. From the very onset, we had felt instinctively that the mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau held something of far greater import than a mere treasure. Whatever lies buried beneath the spot on the map revealed by the 22 code holds the key to a great secret. We now believe that this location might very well conceal the entrance a tunnel system leading to the Cave of Treasures.

At the time that we discovered this location several years ago, we posted an open letter to the Mayor of Rennes-le-Chateau on the internet, offering to share our information with him or anyone else who might be in a position to investigate this lead under official auspices. This offer still stands. We have had to be deliberately vague about the specific location, owing to our concern that the sort of treasure hunters who have repeatedly vandalized Rennes-le-Chateau in the past would undoubtedly put such information to bad use. So, for the time being, we will seep our secrets, maintain our silence and bide our time. And even if no one ever attempts to excavate the Cave of Treasures, our personal Grail quest will not have been in vain. It was an undertaking that changed us profoundly, leading us to reevaluate everything we thought we knew. It has brought us into contact with ideas and information beyond our wildest imaginings, and provided the opportunity for us to share what we have discovered with others. On that level, our researches have been much akin to the Grail quests of myth and legend. Our search has constituted an initiatory process which in and of itself seems to be a vehicle of transformation. If we never dig up a single gold coin at Rennes-le-Chateau, we will still feel as though we have had our share of its treasure. This strange town has impacted us and enriched us. It will remain for us, always, the center of the Earth.