The Languedoc region of France has been the inspiration for countless stories of the supernatural for all of human history. Some readers of the Da Vinci Code may know that Dan Brown became intrigued with local Languedoc lore from Henry Lincoln's Holy Blood, Holy Grail. The book makes a case for the discovery of the true genealogy of Jesus. Some believe that after the Crucifixion Jesus' pregnant wife, Mary of Magdala, left Palestine, crossed the Mediterranean with her children and settled there.
Fanciful tales of Rennes-le-Chateau grew from gossip about a quirky priest Bérenger Saunière and his mysterious life as curate of the small Languedoc parish, Saint Madeleine. In 1885 he was sent to the barren, remote mountain top town to minister to the poor, illiterate community. The church was a dilapidated, decaying structure. Its restoration became the priest's priority and the rebuilding led him to acquiring land around it and constructing a grand estate for his personal pleasure. Saunière had a reputation as a charming ladies man with a penchant for fine food and alcohol. His parties were legendary.
Modern curiosity seekers are eager to decode the symbolic elements Saunière incorporated into the Saint Madeleine church as if there was intent on his part to record a cryptic message for posterity. The controversy is imaginary however the odd religious scenes and figures and their placement in the church does seem peculiar.
Saunière left no personal notes or dairies to explain his objectives for Rennes-le-Chateau. Only some scant falsified financial ledgers exist and they offer no revelations even as to the source of his funding. That is the mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau.