The Treasure of Rennes-le-Chateau

In south-west France's beautiful Aude valley is the small town of Rennes-le-Chateau. It was here in the 1890s that the parish priest started a rumour which has swelled to a legend that of the fabulous treasure of the temple of Jerusalem and the Holy Grail, brought to France for safe-keeping. There have been many books elaborating this story and extending it to include the final resting place of Jesus among the mysterious alignments in the landscape. Bill Putnam and John Edwin Wood attempt to get to the bottom of the mystery and critically examine the sources. A major historical hoax is revealed and a fascinating detective story is recounted in their book. They go back to Rennes-le-Chateau, to the botched trail of forgeries and cover-ups and reveal the true source of the parish priest's treasure the donations of those whom he conned into believing that there was indeed a great and mysterious secret in the landscape. The hoax is certainly one of the most elaborate and complex ever perpetrated and created an ever-deepening whirlpool of fantasy. Its solution is a detective story with a cast of gullible local historians and duplicitous priests.