In 1910-1911 Abbé Bérenger Saunière was summoned to attend a disciplinary ecclesiastical trial for several different reasons – that concluded in him losing his priesthood – that resulted in his plan to sell his estate – the Tour Magdala, the Villa Bethanie and the Gardens and Terraces. However, because his asking price was too high Abbé Saunière was unable to find a buyer for a religious property in an age of Secularism, Atheism and Republicanism (Abbé Saunière was a devoted Traditionalist Roman Catholic living during all these great changes in French Society (the Separation of Church from State in France in 1905 was really a continuation of the French Revolution).

Furthermore, it has been noted from Abbé Bérenger Saunière's Private Correspondence and Papers that when he wanted to mortgage his property in 1913, it was only valued at 13,000 francs by the Crédit Foncier de France, who offered Saunière a loan of 6,000 francs.

The real historical story of Abbé Bérenger Saunière is far removed from the myth about him that began in the local regional press in the mid-1950s.

Believers in the myth of Abbé Bérenger Saunière are self-deceived people and they wish to deceive other people around them – they certainly don’t give all the facts about Abbé Bérenger Saunière. Believers in the myth of Abbé Bérenger Saunière may be described as “inhabitants of Rennes-le-Chàteau DisneyLand”.

There never was any “treasure” or “secret” of Rennes-le-Chàteau during the lifetime of Abbé Bérenger Saunière and the Believers call the Tourist Guides “Historians” – except you won't find the myths and propaganda that they peddle to tourists in any known history book.

Below is a letter to Abbé Saunière demonstrating his attempts to sell his estate, so he could move away from Rennes-le-Chàteau to Lourdes.


Agen, 14 June 1912

Monsieur l'Abbé B Saunière
Rennes-le-Château
Next Monday the 17th June I will be in the Aude and will get in touch with you. Perhaps it would be useful for you to see me?

I have not heard whether the Bank has found a purchaser for your property. For my part, as you know, I can only find one with the assistance of the bank. Unless you've sold it by your own efforts it seems to me – unless you no longer wish to sell it – that it would be a good idea to make use of advertising to achieve your goal. If that is alright with you then the best terms that I can offer you would be:

3% commission.

Advertising: 600 francs payable on demand (as you see, close to my original terms).

If you decide to use this means of selling the property, which proves very effective in most cases, please let me know and I will have the pleasure of paying you a further visit, which this time, I hope, will lead to the result you are hoping for,

Yours,

Charles de Bouvières
Inspector, Banque Petitjean
Reply if appropriate by post to Poste Restante, Limoux (Aude)


Agen 14/6/12

Monsieur l'Abbé B Saunière
Rennes-le-Château
Lundi prochain 17 et je serai dans l'Aude et vous le fais savoir. Peut-être vous serait-il utile de me voir.

Je n'ai pas entendu dire que la Banque ait eu acquéreur pour votre propriété. De mon côté vous le savez, je ne puis en trouver qu'avec le concours de la Banque, a moins que vous n'aviez réussi par vos propres moyens, il me semble, a moins que vous n'avez plus envie de vendre, * de se servir de la publicité pour aboutir. Si tel était votre avis, les conditions extrêmes que je pourrais vous faire pour vous être agréable seraient:

Commission trois pour cent.

Publicité Fr six cents payables a vue soit vous voyez a peu près mes conditions primitives.

Si vous étiez décidé a employer ce moyen très efficace dans la plupart des cas, veuillez me le faire savoir et j'aurai le plaisir de venir vous rendre nouvelle visite qui, celle-ci, je l'espère, vous amènerait résultat espéré.

Veuillez agréer, Monsieur, mes bien sincères salutations,

Ch. de Bouvières
Inspecteur Ppl, Banque Petitjean
Réponse s'il y a lieu par courrier, Poste Restante, Limoux (Aude)

* qu'il serait bo