The Cathars were a religious group who appeared in Europe in the eleventh century, their origin seems to be something of a mystery though there is some evidence that their ideas came from Persia by way of the Byzantine Empire. So they fit in well with the Sauniere Mystery, as yet another mysterious element. Records from the Roman Catholic Church mention them under various names and in various locations. Most details that can be found about them are some what vague and fudged. Catholic theologians debated with themselves for centuries whether Cathars were or a Christian ‘cult’ or heretics. The question is apparently still open to debate. Roman Catholics still refer to Cathar belief as “the Great Heresy” though the current official Catholic position is that Cathars are not in fact Christian. The main sticking point and problem that the Catholic Church seems to have had with them is that they refused to believe in the two fundamental ideas the church held dear, the priesthood and that churches were sacred holy buildings. There is also some evidence that they believed in the equality and parity of men and women- not a popular medieval notion!

Berenger Sauniere, the man whose life and mysterious activities sparked th Da Vinci Code mystery and inspired many books such as Holy Blood, Holy Grail, and the Da Vinci Code, seems to be causing problems even from beyond the grave.It seems Dan Brown has yet another author filing a plagiarism suit against him. This time, it’s an art historian who claims Dan swiped his hypothesis that Leonardo encoded theological ideas in the Mona Lisa. This historian has just released a new book- so the publicity certainly wont go a miss I’m guessing!

Société Perillos continues the articles series on the links between Rennes-le-Château and the ancient Spanish city of Gerona. The article examines the claims made by Patrice Chaplin about rituals being performed by Saunière in relation with the two Tour Magdala’s. One thing is certain. A new holy mountain whas entered the main stage of Rennes-le-Château research: the Catalan Mount Canigou.

Freemasonry is believed to have begun its evolution 500 or more years ago in Scotland, among bands of skilled stonemasons, such as the craftsmen who would have created Rosslyn Chapel. Scottish newspaper The Scotsman talks to the Grand Librarian of Scottish Freemasonry Bob Cooper. Despite the myths and the mystery, the speculation and the secrecy, the Grand Lodge turns out to be just another office HQ, with two busy receptionists juggling buzzing phones at the enquiry desk, empty wood panelled boardrooms and a function suite.

Der Spiegel reports on a mysterious golden pot discovered in a Bavarian lake in 2001 which has been the focus of interest for archaeologists, art dealers and now the German and Swiss police. Its convoluted history involves Nazi cults, treasure hunters and modern-day profiteers. The article is in English.

Researcher Ben Hammott has two articles about Royston Cave with many detailed photos. The cave is said to contain clues to the hiding place of the Holy Grail and depicts many Templar and biblical scenes in a way that has raised many questions. They tell the story of how they were discovered and excavated and what is there to see. On top of that he has posted the full text of Jospeh Bedlam’s standard work on Royston Cave from 1884.

The enigma of Rennes-le-Château is like a misty morning in that very region. It shows many great silhouettes of what appear to be beautiful things. When the smoke has lifted from the fields, few actual facts and artifacts still lie unchallenged or unsuspicious. Some artifacts, clues in fact, are less suspect than others. In this article three of those are combined into one logical puzzle. They appear to have something remarkable in common. A location in Perillos.

François Pous, a member of Franck Daffos’ Rennes-le-Château forum discovered a peculiar change to the statue of the Virgin and Child at the entrance of the enigmatic Basilique de Notre Dame de Marceille in Limoux. When he compared a photo from 1962 with a recent one, he discovered that the Holy Child’s right arm which was pointing upwards at the time is now pointing downwards. Trivial perhaps but when you look at the photos there can be no mistake that this was done on purpose. But what purpose?