The Church of Mary Magdalene: The Sacred Feminine and the Treasure of Rennes-Le-Chateau »

Jean Markale (1928-2008), was a poet, philosopher, historian, and storyteller, who spent a lifetime researching pre-Christian and medieval culture and spirituality. He was a former specialist in Celtic studies at the Sorbonne and author of more than 40 books, including Montségur and the Mystery of the Cathars, The Church of Mary Magdalene, The Druids, The Celts, Merlin, and Women of the Celts.

An extensive examination of the religious anomalies and lost treasure of the Mary Magdalene Church in Rennes-le-Château

• Looks at the connection between the Templars, Cathars, and other enigmatic groups in the history of this church and the surrounding area

• Maintains that Mary Magdalene was the high priestess who anointed Jesus into his priesthood, in accordance with ancient religious tradition

• Explores the role of the Sacred Feminine in early Christian Church history

The small church of Rennes-le-Château, in a remote village in southern France, may well hold the key to the proof of Mary Magdalene’s marriage to Jesus and the bloodline they founded. In 1885 the village of Rennes-le-Château welcomed a new priest, Abbe Saunière, for its church dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene. Abbe Saunière ordered very strange restoration work for the church, and it is thought that he discovered something during this renovation that brought him to the attention of the power brokers of that time and made him a very rich man. Possible identifications of his discovery range from the gold pillaged from Delphi in Roman times; the treasure brought out of Jerusalem by the Templars, who had a strong presence in this area; and the missing Cathar treasure, spirited out of Montségur mere days before the fall of that fortress.

Yet even more curious and compelling is this church’s ambiguous portrayal of Mary Magdalene. Markale explains that the unusual depictions of Mary in the church hint at an even more archaic role performed by Mary that could shake the very foundations of the Church if it were fully understood: that of the high priestess who anoints the priest king into his spiritual duties.

Library Journal

Historian and storyteller Markale (Montsegur and the Mystery of the Cathars) has written an astute, scholarly, investigative book outlining the mystery of the French village of Rennes-le-Chateau, where Berenger Sauniere was appointed the priest of Mary Magdalene Church in 1885. It is rumored that during renovations to the church, Sauniere discovered parchments containing codes and ciphers that led him to the gold brought out of Jerusalem by the Templars. Markale presents the reader with one mystery after another: the church's strange layout, an inscription above the door reading Iste locus est terribilis ("this place is terrible"), plaques of the Stations of the Cross reversed, and a curious portrayal of Mary Magdalene, as well as the murder of Abbe Gelis (Sauniere's confidant and confessor). Were these signs of black magic or alchemy? The reader may never know but learns that Sauniere became very rich. This book should not be taken as a history text but an accumulation of theory and speculation on a mystery that remains unsolved. For larger collections.-Leo Vincent Kriz, West Des Moines P.L., IA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.