When one Mary Magdalene hides many more Part I: from Rennes-le-Château to the Provence via Belpech

 

The altar of Rennes-le-Château and its decoration

Everyone is by now aware of the intriguing depiction of Mary Magdalene on the altar of the church of Rennes-le-Château. It depicts Mary Magdalene kneeling in prayer, inside a cave. She is staring at a cross that seems to be made out of freshly cut branches of a tree; at its base is a human skull and an open book.
At some point, there was a text written underneath this scene, but it was apparently removed in about 1970. The opinions are divided about what the inscription stated and how it was specifically rendered. Some argue that the text that was supposed to be on it was too long and that it was thus broken off, to fit into the available space. We don’t think so… Furthermore, it is stated that if an infrared photograph is taken, the original text can still be seen. But this possibility should be discussed with an expert in the field, as this type of result would only be possible if the writing underneath was somehow giving off warmth or would be radio-active… which seems unlikely. Perhaps the original text was instead photographically rendered by using ultra-violet light?
According to some, the text reads:

MEDELA VULNERUM + SPES - UNA – POENITENTIUM PER MAGDELENA
LACRYMAS PECCATA NOSTRA DILUTED

The original text would have had just one additional word, this at the beginning of the sentence: the word ` JESU' (without S).

Saintly details

There is nothing remarkable about the composition of the saintly depiction. Her clothes are rather typical for a saint; she is wearing a brown skirt with a red, broad belt. On top, she is wearing a yellow piece of clothing, with long sleeves. Her face is turned to the top of the cross and her typically long, brown hair goes down to her hips.
The saint is depicted numerous times in this church, which should not come as a surprise as the church is dedicated to her. We find a statue of her on the right of the church when entering, as well as a large circular stained glass window on top of the chorus. All of this is the work of Saunière. But it is clear that the church must – must – have had, before his time, at least one statue of this saint. What happened to it? What did Saunière do to it? And what did it look like? Whereas we cannot provide an answer to the first two questions, we possibly may be able to answer the third.

The Mary Magdalenes of Saunière

Mary Magdalene is depicted more than three times in this church. For example, she is depicted above the porch; she is worked into several other scenes, such as in the stained glass window of the sacristy. Everywhere where she appears, she is normally accompanied with several objects:
- the wooden cross that is normally made from freshly cut wood
- a skull located nearby
- an open book
- a vase containing the perfume with which she famously washed Jesus’ feet.

Some of these elements are all present in some of the depictions in the church, such as the statue in the second right-hand section of the church. For the scene depicted in the stained-glass window (Jesus having a meal at Bethany), there is no skull, cross or book. It is normal that these are not present, as she is washing Jesus’ feet, which she would afterwards dry with her hair, represented here in the shape of two curving waves.

A lapse of memory and a number

Whereas sometimes some of the attributes can be lacking, the decoration beneath the altar has no excuse why any of these attributes should be missing. There is an ample space to display them all. Nevertheless, the vase with the oil is missing. It can, of course, be a simple error. However, it is a well-known fact that Saunière was a stickler for detail. Furthermore, we know that the manufacturers he employed were top quality. So it is strange to see that somehow the vase was forgotten – all the more remarkable as the vase is her most memorable object, much more than a book or a skull or this specific type of cross. Also, even if it was originally forgotten, adding a vase later on would not have been a major problem. We thus need to ask yet another question, which is whether or not this “lapse of memory” on someone’s part may have been an oblique reference to someone who perhaps could see a clue to something else.
Finally, just for entertainment purposes, we counted the number of small corbels on the first line of decoration, which seem to support the altar. We count 17, the number so very much loved by the Rennes-le-Château researchers.

Origins of a decoration

It is commonly reported that the object was delivered as a mere moulding and that Saunière personally painted in the various pieces of the decoration. Why not. He would not be the only priest to add this personal touch to his collection; in neighbouring Brenac, Courtade was painting most parts of his church all alone. Saunière seems to have limited himself to drawing “within the lines”, thus limiting his artistic creativity to choosing the correct colour for an individual piece while making sure that the total remains pleasing to the eye.
The traditional characters and objects on the decoration are almost flat, with very little relief present. The sense of depth originates from the application of paint: dark for the rocks that create the sense of being inside the cave; brighter colours for Mary Magdalene, the book, the skull and the sky outside.

Another question: did Saunière order this piece of decoration from a catalogue, or was the entire piece specifically if not exclusively made for Saunière? The latter is a possibility as we do not find a similar piece anywhere in the area. Is this sufficient to argue that it is a unique piece? Well, yes and no…
Yes, as the environment (the cave) in which Mary Magdalene is depicted is unique and is undoubtedly inspired by the painting that hangs above the altar in the chapel of Mary Magdalene in the Pilat region, near Lyon. The landscape seen from the cave is identical in both paintings too.
No, in regards to the character itself, which we will show Saunière could see in at least one other location – if not several locations.
Still, all we should say about this painting is that though it is not very common, in the final analysis, we do not seem to be confronted with any great mystery here.

Multiplying Mary

Some questions remain: was it just one work of art that inspired Saunière for this composition… or was it a composition of several different ideas, which he worked into one? One item of inspiration definitely comes from the painting in the chapel in the Pilat region. But was a specific statue of Mary Magdalene another piece that he threw into the equation? It may seem a strange question, but it will soon become apparent why we ask: we discovered a statue of Mary Magdalene, in which we find her in the same posture, with the same clothes. But it is indeed a statue, and not a “relief” as is the case in Rennes-le-Château.

A quick visit to the funerary chapel of Belpech

Belpech is approximately fifty kilometres west of Rennes-le-Château. It is a small town in the Aude region, not far from Castelnaudary, whose cemetery is located towards the town’s edge. Nevertheless, inside the cemetery awaits a major surprise to any visitor: in its centre rises an impressive large chapel, sheltering a considerable number of very beautiful tomb stones, primarily occupied by members of the clergy. The chapel seems to have once been held in great importance, perhaps the church or chapel of an old convent or another religious community.
If we go to the altar on the left hand side of entering, we see some rare statues which are nevertheless without much material value, and are of a pure Sulpician style, left there as if they are serving but one purpose, which is to decorate an otherwise bare, dark and uninviting building – at least on a grey November morning.
The statues are rare, for one is that of the blessed Louise de Marillac, shown with a closed book in her hand and in the other a young child. The other saint is also someone who is present in the church of Notre-Dame de Marceille: J.G. Perboyre, whose martyrdom occurred in China at the time of the evangelical missions that were dispatched to that region – and so many others. On the extreme right stands a figure of Jesus, shown with bleeding wounds on his hands. The left is open and he seems to invite us to contemplate the “sacred heart” that radiates from his chest.

… and a second Mary Magdalene

However, of specific interest is the fourth statue. This is a statue of Mary Magdalene. The image bears a striking resemblance to the manner in which Mary Magdalene is presented on the lower part of the altar in the church of Rennes-le-Château. The saint is in the exact posture: the hands are joined in the same gesture of prayer, whereby we need to highlight that the manner in which the fingers are interlocked is very unique. She is kneeling and her head is raised towards something on high. Finally, the long brown hair also goes down to her hips.
But it does not stop there. Her clothing is identical too: a type of loose brown skirt covers her feet; for the top, a shirt is adjusted; it is yellow. Between the hands and the shirt we see a broad belt, which is red in colour.
Finally, we observe that the objects surrounding the statue are the same that we find on the relief of the church of Rennes-le-Château: there is an open book on the left hand side of the Magdalene, as well as a a cross, which in this case is different from the one in Rennes-le-Château. Here, we are confronted with an ordinary, detachable, octagonal type of cross. A vase, with closed lid, in the shape of a ballot box, covered with white linen, is located on the right of the Magdalene. There is no human skull in this composition, whereas in Rennes-le-Château it was the vase which was missing.

Details

The vase carries an inscription:

OLEUM
NARDI
PRETI
OSI

Actually, it should read: “OLEUM NARDI PRETIOSI”, which means “the invaluable oil of the balsam”… This text is a direct reference to the scene of Bethany, where Mary Magdalene oils the feet of Jesus. In the Bible, we see that this gesture is not met with the satisfaction of the apostles, who consider it a waste of money. Instead, they would have preferred that the money of the oil would have been sold, whereby the money could have been given to the poor.

The open book contains some Latin words as well:

Unum est necessarium optimam

Partem eligit sibi Maria

Logic reveals to us the Latin text: “unum is necessarium, Maria sibi eligit partem optimam”, taken from Luke 10:42: “only one is necessary, Mary chose the best share”… It is clear that the sequence of words is somewhat in disarray, though this strange sequence may have been entirely due to space constraints on the book. Then again, perhaps not, as there are more logical sequences. The method of presenting the viewer with the sequence of words does not lead to an immediate understanding where the reference comes from. Only by juggling them about is this revealed.

We note that the distance between Belpech and Rennes-le-Château is not insurmountable. Saunière could have come to this parish. If he did, he would definitely have seen and visited the funeral chapel in the cemetery and would have seen the statue. Nevertheless, it is not entirely sure that the statue was inside this chapel at that time. Information received from the local people stated that the statues inside the chapel were believed to be originally housed in the main church of the town, in the centre of town. As this is a most impressive building, perhaps the lesser works of art were indeed transferred to decorate the otherwise poor – in fact, non-existent – decorations of the funeral chapel. Wherever they were at one point, it is a remarkable fact that the statue, specifically in the colours of the clothing, is identical with the depiction by Saunière.
To provide some additional information about this chapel: the majority of the clergy of Belpech were Lazarists, a community which we already highlighted existed in Notre-Dame-de-Marceille, the community of which was very familiar to Saunière, as he invited them to play important roles in such ceremonies as the rededication of his church. It may be one motif why he knew and/or came here.

To provide some more background on the two saints inside the church:
- Jean-Gabriel Perboyre was of the order of the Lazarists. He was born on January 6, 1802, in Puech, near Mongesty, Cahors. He was placed on a cross on a hill called “red mountain”, before being killed by strangulation on September 11, 1840 in Or-Tchang-Fou, China. He was beatified on November 10, 1889 by Pope Leo XIII (a man well liked by Bérenger Saunière) and was canonized on June 2, 1996 by Jean Paul II…
- The Blessed Louise de Marillac Le Gras. She was born on August 15 1591, in Maux. Although she desired a religious vocation at an early age, she was in such fragile health that no religious community wanted to accept her. She instead married Antony Le Gras, a civil servant of the queen, in 1611. A widow by 1625, she very quickly becomes an enthusiastic spiritual helper of Saint Vincent de Paul. With his assistance, she creates the “Les Filles de la Charité” in 1642. She enters the order, and remains a driving force until her death. The organisation received the approval of the Vatican in 1655. She died on March 15, 1660 in Paris and was beatified on May 9 1920 by Benedict XV, before being canonized on March 11, 1934 by pope Pius XI.

Jean-Gabriel Perboyre

Louise de Marillac Le Gras

… and a third representation in St Zacharie

The equation changes yet again when we found that the statue in the funerary chapel of Belpech is not unique… but has at least one and most likely more copies elsewhere. In fact, it is here that we need to pose the question whether before Saunière’s restoration and new decoration, the church of Rennes-le-Château may not have had such a statue, and whether it was such a statue that was the inspiration for his artwork. We will refer to this second statue as that of St Zacharie, as it is the location where it was found.
St Zacharie is in the Provence, in the Var; the church in which it stands is the church of John the Baptist. It is the region of St Baume, where the legend of Mary Magdalene and how she spent the last years of her life in France are the most alive. Is it a coincidence to find a statue here that bears such a striking resemblance to that of Saunière? Though it is much further away from Rennes-le-Château, this is another possibility where Saunière came and became inspired. Let us also note that the site was a stronghold for the abbey of St Victor de Marseille, which is a key site in the tradition of both Mary Magdalene’s alleged presence in France and specifically of Lazarus, whom some claimed was a bishop of that city.

This other copy is an exact replica of Mary Magdalene, as far as the statue of the saint in Belpech is considered. It is not identical when it comes to the objects found around her. The vase, the book and the cross are there, but there are subtle differences: the vase is not the same shape. Though it bears the same inscription, the lettering is different. The angle of the saint in regards to the objects at her feet is also different. But when it comes to the statue itself, it is clearly identical.
Nevertheless, irrespective of the small differences, the vase is still covered with a white veil and, as mentioned, bears the same inscription. The biggest difference is an addition which we only find in the St Zacharie statue: next to the open book are two objects that appear to be containers in the form of a test tube. These vases would have been made out of glass or rock crystal and are tinted red… as if they contained blood. There is text on both bottles and it reads “Sang de St Zacharie” and “Sang de Jean-Baptiste”, i.e. blood of St Zachary and John the Baptist. Zachary was the father of John the Baptist.

Saint Zachary, John the Baptist and the Holy Slipper

The two vials placed at the feet of the Magdalene in the church of St Zacharie are direct references to Zachary and John the Baptist. Still, in the Bible, we do no find any interface between Mary Magdalene and John the Baptist. The latter seems to have only dealt with Jesus and he is dead – a famous decapitation – before Mary Magdalene appears on the scene during the final days of Jesus’ life.
As to St Zachary: let us recall the story that he and his wife Elisabeth are both deemed to be too old to bear children, but God nevertheless grants them a most special favour, which is that they will become parents to John the Baptist, the man sent by Heaven to “finger” Jesus – identify the Christ. Indeed, we often forget that the bible does not speak of one miraculous birth, but of two, and that the other one is John the Baptist, who, as his name indicates, will baptise Jesus and as being the one to come after him.
The vials containing blood could thus be an interesting addition: as they represent the blood of the father and the son, in our modern technological world, they could be used to identify whether the blood was indeed from the father and his son. As John’s birth was miraculous – and by some deemed to be supernatural – an analysis of his blood might be seen by those same people as extremely important. In the absence of the blood of Jesus, the blood of John the Baptist could be the second biggest trophy. Was the addition a reminder of a relic that the church once possessed, or of a story that was linked to the town? And why was the town named after the father of John the Baptist, which is not one of the more popular saints.
Speaking of relics: the town of St Zacharie does contain a most peculiar relic: a shoe of the Virgin called “San Sabatoun”, which means “la Sainte Savate”, or even “La Sainte Sabot”, the Holy Shoe!

Return to Belpech…

Let us return to Belpech and the main church, in the centre of town. The church dates from the beginning of the 14th century and replaces an older building that was built under the protection of St Saturnin, the Toulouse martyr.
Inside, we find a series of beautiful stained glass windows, of the same form than those that are found in the church of Rennes-le-Château. One of these shows, of course, Mary Magdalene, praying on her knees, in the presence of a large cross, surrounded by a skull and an open book. However, as on the altar of Rennes-le-Château, the vase is missing. Another window shows a woman – Mary Magdalene ? – kneeling in front of an apparition of Jesus with his sacred heart. A third window shows John the Baptist. If anyone wants to count the number of white flowers on the external perimeter of the canopy, you will count a total of… 17.

André Douzet, Filip Coppens and Odile Martinez