Espéraza: the curiosity church of Rivière

 

Espéraza is an important village in the Aude region, located between Quillan and Limoux, not too far from Couiza. It is dominated by a Visigothic tower, which must have been the tower or keep of a small castle whose remains are still somewhat visible on the plateau. From its door, we can see Rennes-le-Château, which is located at the same elevation. Our primary interest in this village, however, is its church and its priest, which had a straightforward link with Saunière

Yet another priest?

As is customary for first-time visitors to the church of Rennes-le-Château, we too will run along a number of curiosities inside the church of Espéraza, especially those that might or are related to the known or suspected “preoccupations” that captivated Béranger Saunière, priest of Rennes-le-Château. Here, we see the hand of Father Rivière, stationed in Espéraza from 1906 to 1920, before moving on to Coursan, where he lived from 1920 till 1929.
Let us note that it is this Father Rivière who listened to the confession of his colleague of Rennes-le-Château in his hour of need and who was so shocked from the revelations Saunière made on his deathbed that he allegedly refused, or forgot, to give him the sacrament of the dead he had come to administer. If it indeed happened like that, it was a very serious omission to make – unless, of course, he heard something so shocking, so un-Catholic, that he felt incapable of administering this rite after having heard what Saunière told him.
But once this initial shock had settled, might Rivière, in his own way, on his own turf – have wanted to leave a message about the contents of the confessions Saunière had made to him, perhaps by the manner in which he decorated his church?

Under the watchful eyes of Saint Michael

The sanctuary of Espéraza is somewhat quaint; indeed, its atmosphere has something of an old, early 20th century cinema theatre. We find the inscription “Liberté Égalité Fraternité - Propriété communale" splashed about, underlining – in case there was any doubt – that this sanctuary is under the jurisdiction of the Republic, and not the Catholic Church as such. It is a reminder of whom exactly won the French Revolution and though all churches belong to the state, in Espéraza, it seems, the state wanted to underline this message.
Once through the door, we do not see a statue of Asmodeus, but instead a statue of Saint Michael, the patron saint, who is, as usual, striking down the dragon. The dragon is often associated with caves and is made up out of the four elements: the air for the wings; water for the scales; earth for its serpentine format; fire for its mouth that is spewing flames.
Thus, we see some correspondence with the church of Rennes-le-Château: there, it is the sign of the cross – four movements – and the water – one of the four elements – that makes the devil succumb – kneel – to the ground. Here, it is the Archangel Michael that strikes down the demon with his spear – noting that Asmodeus in origin had a trident in his hand, before it was placed in a “private collection” by “an enthusiast”.

Jesus and tombs – if not caves

Rivière, like his colleague Saunière, adds a statue of the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus in her arms. Originally located on the left of the choir, it was later replaced by a Notre Dame des Victoires. Another surprise awaits us in the first chapel, left when entering, where there is a grotto that is apparently made in the same style, if not using the same stones, than the grotto that sits in the garden in front of the church of Rennes-le-Château. We know this construction was the work of Saunière, who went on walks to recover the stones for this oeuvre personally. It once held a statue of Mary Magdalene, now also “in private care”.
Nevertheless, in the church of Espéraza, the stones appear to be blacker, smaller and more regular. But in style, it is clearly meant to echo that what is in Rennes-le-Château. Here too, it is used to lodge a saintly statue, this time of Christ, in his tomb – dead – though with his eyes open. The statue is almost life-size, well-executed, and intriguing to behold. Apart from his eyes that are open, he is placed in a cave, with his hands positioned along his body. Hands and feet show the signs of his crucifixion, and his side shows where he has been pierced with a spear. One final detail: this man has a moustache, a beard and hears that are ginger, or red.

Another particularity needs to be underlined here. Normally, such statues are only put on display during the Passion, i.e. the period before Easter. Only few, in rare circumstances, are present inside a church throughout the year. Here, it is clear that the method in which Rivière had constructed it, meant that no dismantling could occur; this was a permanent exhibition.
So why did he do so? What was so special that he “defied” the local customs? Though such displays are more common in churches that are closely linked with La Sanch, here, in the Aude valley, it is an oddity. Furthermore, what to make of the curiosity of choosing a statue that has its eyes open? Indeed, some will point out this is not the only statue like that. And indeed, but first, we need to ask why someone decided to offer a statue that had a dead Jesus with his eyes open, and why Rivière specifically picked a statue like that. It is coincidence stacked upon another coincidence. Perhaps only those who confront this strange installation with “open eyes” will be able to see his message?

Anyone who has come across the object known as Saunière’s model in the story of Rennes-le-Château will note that it references a “Tomb of Christ”. And a Tomb of Christ is precisely what Rivière decided to install in his church – against local customs, it has to be underlined. If we give our imagination free rein, then we note that the colour of his hair in French is known as “roux”, which is a known linguistic reference to “Roussillon”, the region now known as the Languedoc-Roussillon, the heartland of La Sanch, and also the region in which we find Perillos, mapped by Saunière on that very model. Is it a tongue in cheek reference? Only the ghost of Rivière will ever be able to illuminate us here. But let us note that the reddish hair is normally also linked with another saint, Mary Magdalene, and she is depicted as such on a stained glass window in Saunière’s church. Coincidence, or design? It is the central question that we have to ask wherever we turn in this mystery.
Let us also note that on top of the grotto, there is a statue of a Christ dressed in a red cape, his right hand open, showing the injury from the nails that were hammered in there during the cruxifixion, his left hand pointing to his Sacred Heart, in flames. Two Christs, one on top of the other, in this sequence, is also in evidence – coincidentally, no doubt? – on the pulpit of Rennes-le-Château.

The ascent of the souls

In front of the grotto is an altar, made from black marble. At its base is a skull and bones design. The door of the tabernacle, also black, displays a fleur de lys. Above the main altar, facing the grotto, is a magnificent painting, showing the Assumption, which appears to not be the one of the Virgin Mary, though. The panel shows a young woman, accompanied by a young man, ascending to the heavens. The event occurs under the acclamation of six people, who also begin to ascend. Above, a person with a gilded banner seems to rest. Meanwhile, angels are waiting for the arrival of these people. Lower down, a group appears to be sad, as they are unable to join them- or are waiting their turn?
What is this painting meant to represent? Is the young man supposed to be Christ? Are the others ascending to the heavens in his wake? Though it is implied, it is not made explicit, and we wonder why it is indeed not explicit, seeing there is no need to be “occult” about these aspects inside a Church.
“Another coincidence and nothing but”, some will argue, but indeed, again, does this painting not remind one of the collage Saunière made in his notebook? Indeed, we see a young Jesus, with his eyes open, rising up to the heavens aided by the angels. And below, Saunière had written “Ascent towards eternity, the year 1891”.

From St Etienne in Toulouse to Espéraza

It is worthwhile to discuss this painting, as the Cathedral of Saint Etienne in Toulouse has an identical painting. Indeed, certain small details are different, such as the colour of the hair or the clothing. As minimal as these differences may be – perhaps because someone was working from a black and white design? – there are nevertheless more “serious” differences between the two paintings. The group of people at the bottom and the young reclining woman are absent from the Toulouse painting. It suggests that in the painting of Espéraza, salvation – ascension – is not solely reserved for a few, but for more. Of course, this is but our reading of it – and perhaps the painter had something altogether in mind.
A third difference can be seen at the top of the painting. The Espéraza painting shows angels welcoming the ascended. At Saint Etienne, a large ray opens on the right a type of road which is quite similar to the collage of Saunière. Top left corner, there is a person – God the Father? – surrounded by angels and archangels, apparently leading them to heaven.
Finally, whereas the painting of Espéraza is quite sombre in style, that of Saint Etienne is more luminous and colourful. To some extent that is indeed due to the finish applied to it, but it is clear that it is more than that.

A grotto for a Virgin

Let us stroll elsewhere in the church, towards another chapel which is again decorated with stones, like the grotto, but this time more coarse, more all-encompassing… indeed, though it is nothing more than a “wall”, it does leave the visitor with the impression of being inside a cave. And though from a close-up, it has a lot of charm, from a distance, it is out of place with the keeping of the church as such.
Inside this “cave” is another cave, in which there is a statue of the Virgin of Lourdes, depicted in her usual dress, with the usual emphasis for the colours white and blue. If anyone were to be in doubt that this is the Virgin of Lourdes, there is a statue of Bernadette praying in front of her. The stained glass window behind this display has the image of the basilica of Lourdes. And it is nearby that we find the statue of Notre Dame de Victoires. She is placed on a whirling cloud and is represented with her usual seven golden stars. The baby Jesus, like the Virgin, is crowned by a fleur de lys. One index finger of the Christ points upward; the other towards the visitor.

A cross

On top of the tabernacle of the altar is an old cross, in bronze. The traditional “INRI” panel that decorates the top of the cross is in this case inversed, resulting in a reading of IRNI. An error at the time of the creation, or perhaps more likely, it fell off, and someone “restored” it incorrectly? Or perhaps, indeed, it is an alchemical message, that we need to turn things around? We are now widely speculating, but let us note that working with “the opposite way” is in evidence in Saunière’s church when he inversed the traditional stations of the cross – indeed, a cross too. So, whereas in Rennes-le-Château we have to turn the opposite way to follow the stations of the cross, in Espéraza the cross is partially turned upside down too.
If it were an alchemical message, then we should read it as an invitation to read what is high as below, and vice versa. The aficionados of the mystery will also have realised that this inversion has resulted in a mirrored letter N, which is a rather cherished ingredient of the enigma of Rennes-le-Château.

In case some people believe we have speculated too widely, let us note that whoever made or restored it, if he did see his error, he could have corrected it easily, but somehow he – nor anyone after him – decided not to do so. Why? Some might blame the usual French “laisser faire” attitude, but what if it is not?
When we study this cross in further detail, we note that each branch of the cross ends with a fleur de lys design, as well as a type of cockle. Also, Jesus has his feet placed next to each, not the more usual on top of each other, and the incision made by the spear seems to be absent.
Yet another fleur de lys, though. Though the fleur de lys appears on several European coats of arms, it was specifically associated with the French monarchy. Indeed, after the demise of the monarchy and the arrival of the Republic, the fleur de lys came to typify the French monarchy – fond memories of a good time, at least for some – and perhaps its repeated presence in the church of Espéraza might indeed be one of the reasons why this church was “singled out” to get the traditional Revolutionary slogan of “Liberty, equality, fraternity” – as in brotherhood. Like a bond between brothers – colleagues – like Rivière and Saunière… perhaps?

Juliette Goudin & Filip Coppens