A secret part in the church of Rennes-le-Château

 

The church of Rennes-le-Château is actually made up of three distinct buildings: the church itself, the sacristy and a tiny room to its side, sometimes called the “secret part – or piece – of Saunière”.
The sacristy is on the Southern side of the church. Hundreds of visitors walk past it, without noticing that it, together with the “secret part” is very visible from the outside, yet invisible once inside the church. It is nevertheless entered from inside the church, through a door that is located between the entrance of the sanctuary and the statue of St Anthony of Padua.
The room itself is lit by a large stained glass window, from the workshop of FEUR. It represents a scene of Christ on the cross, with on his right side his mother, on his left a character which seems to be John the Evangelist, and at the foot of the cross, a kneeling Mary Magdelene, in prayer.

Sacristy of Rennes-le-Château. Stained glass window, showing the crucifixion.

A saintly affair

The Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, is dressed in a quite traditional blue. No further comment is required. The man on the opposite side of the cross is believed to be John the Evangelist, though he is not equipped with the book he is traditionally holding in his hands. Instead, his hands are pressed together, in prayer. A closer study of his face reveals that tears are running down his cheek. Could it be that this figure is left “unidentified”, so that it could be someone else? Perhaps…

Statue of St Anthony of Padua

Some other remarks on the imagery: the clothing of the man on Jesus’ left is sharp green under a red coat, colours sometimes linked with the Grail. The wound on Jesus’ right side is not bleeding. Mary Magdalene is displayed with russet-red hair. In fact, she is not the only one: Jesus and the “other man” also have the same russet-red hair. An error made by the glassmaker, or a shortage of the right coloured glass? Or was it a specific request by Saunière to use that rather odd colour? As to the Virgin, her hair is not visible, hidden by a bluish veil.
It is rather rare to find Jesus and John the Evangelist portrayed with russet-red hair. Does it indicate a relationship between them and Mary Magdalene? If so, what type of relationship: members of the same family, or the same clan… or organisation?
Another curiosity is that the face of Mary Magdalene is not turned towards Jesus, nor towards the ground. Instead, she is facing Mary, and praying to her! It is somehow reminiscent of the particular devotion Saunière seems to have had towards the Virgin Mary himself. Did he extend this devotion into the sacristy?
The stained glass is the only source of light coming into the sacristy. Still, like so many other glass windows, its detail is only clearly visible from the inside. But unlike so many other glass windows, the spectacle is visible only for those inside the sacristy – which limits it to the priest, and largely to Saunière. This stained glass window was for his sole pleasure… or use. The advantage of stained glass is that people on the outside have great difficulty in finding out what goes on inside. Even a light inside the sacristy would still not give enough visibility to learn what was going on inside.

The (closed) door to the secret part of the church

The (open) double door that opens to the secret part

The sacristy’s workings

The work of a priest inside the sacristy requires, indeed, great distinction. All the details that we should expect to find are present. On the left, when entering the sacristy, is a line of wall cupboards with wood frontages, along the wall. In these cupboards, no doubt clothes and other tools of the mass were stored. In the first door, in the recess, we can read “ANTE MISSAM” and “POST MISSAM”, framing an intact mirror. Above the text, it reads:

DA, DOMINE VIRTUTEM MANIBUS MEIS,
AD ABSTERGENDAM OMNEM MACULAM:
UT SINE POLLUTIONE MENTIS ET CORPORIS
VALEAM TIBI SERVIRE.

“Give virtue to my hands, O Lord, that being cleansed from all stain I might serve you with purity of mind and body.” This inscription was placed there by Saunière and since that time, it has not been changed.

The secret room

Close to this door, another, of the same form, opens into a closet. The bottom of this closet is another dissimulated door. It is this secret passage that gives access, from the sacristy, into the “secret part”. Again, it is a strange sequence of events: from the outside of the church, both the sacristy and the secret part are very visible. Everyone walking from the church’s entrance to the cemetery passes by them, can touch the outside walls. But from the inside of the church, their access is concealed – a double test to get into the secret part.

You would expect this “secret part” to be extra-ordinary. It is, in the sense that it is strange. There is a miserable coating on the wall, and the floor is actually the natural outdoor surface. In all, it is dilapidated and decayed. A small opening, hardly sufficient for ventilation, is not able to provide sufficient lighting. What purpose could such a place serve? What was Saunière doing here? And why create so much secrecy – two fake doors – to get here? There is no lighting, it is narrow, it cannot store large things, it is unhealthy. It is on the opposite end of the church, where detailed care and attention has been given to every millimetre.

Inside the secret part

Another observation to make on this “secret part” is the naked external walls visible here, coinciding with one of the walls of the cemetery. Furthermore, the alignment points to the old office/library, used by Saunière on the opposite side of the cemetery’s entrance. It is that room that features in the infamous fire, where Saunière refused to have water drawn from the cistern that sits under this room. The sacristy, the secret part and the old library are all on the same line… Important, or not?
There is another important detail: in the secret part, one can clearly distinguish a difference in floor level between that of this room and the sacristy. Why was it not all levelled out? Could there be an imperative reason why the ground is left natural in this awkward construction? Was it there so that Saunière could easily – and secretly – dig into the natural soil, in the immediate vicinity of the church? Let us also note that we are here under the line of natural faults, aligned with the cisterns that sit under the church and that continue towards the Villa Bethania. Coincidence then that a somewhat strange – hollow – sound can be heard when one taps the floor of the secret part?