Photo Gallery
The protagonists of DISCOVERY, David and Giselle, travel through the south of France, visiting medieval towns, holy sites and end up in Father François Bérenger Saunière’s mountaintop village of Rennes-le-Château.The French residents of the Languedoc are friendly and relaxed, quick to offer help, directions and a smile. It is commonly believed that Mary Magdalene arrived here after the crucifixion, and walked the countryside preaching love. Myth has it that she spent the last 30, some say 40, years of her life in a cave high on a mountaintop, where angels visited daily and danced with her in the clouds. She was doing penance, although Giselle points out in the book that she had nothing to be repentant for.
My husband, Bob, and I decided to trace David and Giselle’s steps, staying where they stayed and visiting the churches, the grotto and, of course Rennes-le-Château. We put a lot of miles on our rental car, and found out French “Siri” is much more polite than her American counterpart. Fortunately for me, Bob is fluent in French and willing to ask directions.
Reading about all these places online doesn’t do them justice. With the lavender in bloom on the mountainside and the brilliant Monet blue skies, it was a week of magic and discovery. I wasn’t thinking of a website at that time, just trying to capture the memories. And now I have these wonderful photos to share with my readers! I hope the written descriptions in the book bring these places to life, and inspire you to go and visit. You may not solve the mystery of Rennes-le-Château, but you’ll have an unforgettable adventure.
Please click the photos below for more information.
Rennes le Château
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A map at the foot of the village, orienting visitors to Father Saunière’s Domaine.
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A painting along the only path into Rennes-le-Chateau, depicting a dashing Father Saunière and his lifelong companion Marie Dénarnaud, with the inscription “Queen of the Palace.”
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These are the gates to the cemetery constructed at Saunière’s direction, for the purpose of allowing him to dig there unobserved after dark. Marie dug with him.
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The 700 hundred year old medieval Church of Saint Maria Magdalena (its original Roman name), reconstructed by Father Saunière. Note the Latin inscription he placed above the door: Terribilis Est Locus Iste, which can be translated as, “This Place is Dreadful” or “This Place is Awesome.”
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Asmodeus, the mythical King of the Demons, or one of the seven princes of hell (demon of lust), is just inside the Church entrance holding up the holy water stoop.
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A relief of the 14th Station of the Cross hanging inside the Church. Father Saunière personally painted the moon seen in the upper left corner to indicate it was nighttime.
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The presbytery, designed and built by Father Saunière, which he called the Villa Bethanie. He and Marie Dénarnaud lived here together.
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The romantic glass and iron Orangerie, designed and built by Father Saunière, purely for the pleasure of sitting with Marie in the warm months and watching the sunset over the Pyrenees. It is perched on the far right side of the stone belvedere and has an internal staircase to a hidden room below.
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The Tour Magdala sits like a stone chess piece on the far left of the belvedere, and also offers breathtaking views of the valley and distant mountains. It housed Father Saunière’s extensive library, and also has a private circular stairway to a secluded chamber below.
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The view from the belvedere, built along the knuckle of the mountain, offering a stunning panorama of the French countryside and Pyrenees in the distance.
Basilique of Sainte Marie Madeleine Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume
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The exterior of the Basilique Sainte Marie Madeleine, whose excavation began in 1296. It was consecrated in 1316 at the completion of the crypt, but construction was halted in 1348 when half the population succumbed to The Black Death. Work resumed in 1404 and continued steadily until 1502 when it was declared finished, despite the lack of a planned bell tower and an unfinished west front as seen here.
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An interior view, showing the nave of the gothic cathedral.
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A marble statue of a semi-reclining Sainte Marie-Madeleine on the stair landing descending into the crypt.
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When King Charles II became aware of the legend that Mary Magdalene had sailed to the South of France and was buried in the crypt of Saint-Maximin, he ordered an excavation. On December 12, 1279, a sarcophagus was discovered, with evidence suggesting it was the tomb of Sainte Marie Madeleine. Her skeleton was intact except for the mandible (later recovered in Rome) and lower leg bone. Her skull remains on display in the crypt, housed in an elaborate gold setting; it is currently protected behind iron gates and bullet proof glass.
Grotto of Sainte Marie Madeleine Plan-d’Aups-Sainte-Baume
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According to Languedoc legend, after years of converting people in the surrounding countryside, Sainte Marie-Madeleine retired to this cave high in the Sainte-Baume Mountains where she lived until her death. It is a steep, rigorous climb up the sacred, forested massif, even on the civilized path called the Chemin des Roys (The Kings Way). Eight popes and eighteen kings have made the climb over the centuries, some, after particularly egregious sins, on their knees.
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The towering massif is located in the heart of Provence and rises vertically above the Grotto. There are caves, explored and as yet unexplored, peppering the entire mountainous area.
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Painted statues on the mountainside below the grotto entrance depict the crucifixion of Jesus and two criminals, with three women at His feet. There is agreement that the central figure is Mary-Magdalene, and one of the other women is Mother Mary. There is no consensus on the identity of the third.
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After climbing a hundred and fifty stone steps carved into the granite massif, you reach a large stone veranda. An oak door seals the previously gaping entrance. The adjoining presbytery permanently houses three Dominican monks who maintain the forest and the chapel.
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The only light inside the cave arrives through dramatic stained glass windows cut into the stone wall.
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The enormous volume of space dwarfs the full-scale chapel built into the interior in honor of Sainte Marie-Madeleine.
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Down a flight of stairs are two stone benches facing a marble statue of young Sainte Marie-Madeleine. She is sitting, legs curled beneath her, conveying a sense of profound grief and loss.
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A reliquary housing Sainte Marie Madeleine’s tibia (leg bone), supported by four angels.