Abbé Boudet’s 290 Francs
Paul Smith
11.11.24
Boudet's gifts of cash to Saunière amounted to a maximum of 290 francs. These gifts were made in March 1896, March and October 1897, January and November 1898, March 1899 and March 1900. (Laurent “Octonovo” Buchholtzer, Chapter 11, Rennes-le-Château: Une Affaire Paradoxale, 2008).
Boudet's book La vraie langue celtique serves as an example of extreme idiosyncrasy relating to the quest for the original language, that Boudet claimed was modern English that gave birth to Gaul! His claims about the topography of Rennes-les-Bains and its environs were equally ludicrous. Only those badly addicted beyond recovery to the “mysteries” can seriously accept such hokum.
Claims of a “Universal Language” were far from uncommon and the book by Umberto Eco, The Search For The Perfect Language (1995) serves as an introduction.
Boudet retired to Axat in 1915 and here can be found a good capture of his tomb on YouTube (la colline enchantée).
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