Here is painting by unknown artist that used to feature in Brenac church of a penitent Mary Magdalene kneeling and praying to another rugged cross, accompanied by scroll and skull and spikenard vessel (or perhaps a vessel containing ashes). The hills in the background are particularly distinctive.

A church where Sulpicions are traditionally buried which is resplendent in imagery.

But look at this from Saunière

As the game goes - Say what you see!

Left to right

A chateau - Rennes le Chateau?

In front of this on the same ridge, a tower with wall to the right? - La Tour Magdala?

An Arch in the background? - Arques?

Conical hill in front  - There is a conical hill between Brenac and Rennes le Chateau called

COL DE LASSERE

A line drawn on a map that leaves Rennes le Chateau to the left, Arques in the middle and Col de Lassereeto the right extends to the west through Brenac Church. In other words this frieze under the altar in Saunière's church of Saint Marie Madeleine.

 In other words this frieze under the altar in Saunière's church of Saint Marie Madeleine could be a theoretical view from a cave that is situated at or near to Brenac showing a Golden Dawn emerging from behind the Arch.

Brenac Church

It is worth noting that, despite the distance (just under 10km), Brenac church can be clearly seen from Rennes le Chateau and vice versa. We're told that Saunière made many visits to this church and after consulting a retired priest from there apparently turned his attention to the east of Rennes near to Perpignan. However it is worth noting that this line drawn from Brenac church to Arques is at an angle of 23.5 degrees from due east i.e. The tilt angle of the earth.to the east of Rennes near to Perpignan. However it is worth noting that this line drawn from Brenac church to Arques is at an angle of 23.5 degrees from due east i.e. The tilt angle of the earth.

CROSS POINTS AT RENNES LE CHATEAU

IT IS CALLED

CROIX DE LA SIMON

One will remember that it was at Simon's house where Mary of Bethany, Martha and Lazarus (Lassere?) met with Jesus and where the Mary anointed the feet of Jesus.

These events are featured in the windows at Sainte Marie Madeleine church in Rennes le Chateau.

It is also the theme of the plain text of the Shepherdess parchment.

Brenac is a village just off the road from Quillan to Montsegur. The village was formerly known as Bernacum and is at the foot of the plate of Nebias which encompasses the commune of hamlets comprising of Fauruc, Lasserre, Monsec and Prax. The name Brenac is probably of Gallo-Roman origins. The Chapter of Narbonne holds the title deeds to it in the 9th century and there is mention of the village, as Bernacum, in 870, in the cartulary of St Just. The Chapter of Narbonne (St Just) then equipped the place as a stronghold and this was done by royal approval.

 During the Albigensian Crusade, the lord of the castle was the d'Aniort family. During the wars of religion, the castle and church were burned and largely destroyed, but rebuilt afterwards. Cassini's map shows the many mills on the course of valley of Brézilhou. The church and Castle would suffer again during the French Revolution, but unlike others in the area, was not destroyed.

There exists a persistent rumour linking this village with the village of Rennes-le-Chteau which wont go away. Both villages were close to one another and throughout recent times at least, priests from each village would definitely occasionally meet, either socially or officially; indeed Saunière mentions such visits in his diary. However just outside the village are the remains of a small insulated vault (it can be reached by car), which is a Visigothic oratory (shown left) and is listed as under the protection of St Anthony. There are many points, all around Brenac, where this vault could have been built, but from this specific point the village of Rennes-le-Chteau can be clearly seen. There appears to be a natural alignment between these two sites – and seems to suggest some intention on the part of our early ancestors. However there is another site, near Brenac, that has attracted the attention of vandals and has been violated in the hope of discovering the famous treasure of the Razès in that location. No treasure has been found and the site had to be carefully protected from further destruction by treasure hunters.

There was a former priest of Brenac called Capel who was curé in 1793. We know that the priest of Rennes-le-Chteau, Bigou, went to Spain to flee the French Revolution, there is some speculation that the priest of Brenac went with him?

In the early 19th century, the church was in a sorry state. In 1809, Mgr. de Laporte, bishop of Carcassonne, worried about the maintenance of the building. However it would be 1837 before any work was carried out. An entry porch was added and to the left and right, two side chapels were created.

In 1843, beautiful but strange frescoes were added to panels in the ceiling. They have been listed in the Historic buildings inventory since April 9, 1987 (as was the bell dating from 1646). In some ways this church is decorated better than the St Marie Madeleine church in Rennes le Chateau.

The church is under the protection of St Julien and St Basilisse, both saints that lived in the 4th century and were martyrs in Antioch. In the county of the Razès we find the churches of Especel, Magrie and Villar-Saint-Andre also under their patronage. In Brenac, the celebrations in their honour occur on January 19, the day of St Marius, but before, it was the feast of St Germanique. The following day, January 20, masses were said for the dead.

One priest of Brenac is worth special mention, he is François Courtade. Born in 1820, he attended the great seminar of Carcassonne. He was named priest of Brenac on May 10, 1848, where he would remain for the next 40 years – until the time when a young Béranger Saunière came to the priesthood. Born in 1820, he attended the great seminar of Carcassonne. He was named priest of Brenac on May 10, 1848, where he would remain for the next 40 years – until the time when a young Béranger Saunière arrived at Rennes-le-Chateau as curé. He was the great nephew of Felix Armand, who was famous for having made tunnels in the region. François Courtade was also an experienced sculptor and painter, he may well have painted the Mary Magdalene picture shown above. The village still has the statue of former bishop was also an experienced sculptor and painter, he may well have painted the Mary Magdalene picture shown above.

The village still has the statue of former bishop Petrus Amelius,  residing on top of the fountain near the church (shown left), inaugurated in 1878 it was sculptured by Courtade.. Petrus Amelius (Pierre Amiel) was a former native of Brenac and he was connected with the Avignon popes and specifically involved in the return of the Holy See to Rome at the time of Gregory XI. Amiel’s career began around 1365 and lasted up to his death in 1401. He was the patriarch of Raden and Alexandria, a position he received in 1386 and which he held until 1391.

Saunière is reported to have consulted Courtade before turning his attention to Perillos..

Last but not least it is worth a mention that at the beginning of the 17th century there was yet another enigmatic figure, Polycarpe de la Rivière, who showed a more than normal interest in the history of Brenac. Too strong an interest, it seems, as his work on the history has been censored by the Church authorities.
His prohibited work was written in 1638 and entitled “Histoire de la ville d’Avignon”. What is so strange about the history of this town that it required the intervention of the Vatican. But could it have been something that Amiel, in his privileged position as papal librarian, was also aware of? Amiel was of course part of that history for Polycarpe.

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It is reasonable to speculate that a cave exists close to Brenac that has a connection with Mary Magdalene.

Perhaps marked by Simon's Cross.

Careful close scrutiny of the Magdalene frieze under the altar reveals some interesting hypotheses. One of the things that is usually overlooked is the twin pillars either side of The Magdalene that symbolically hold up the Arch and the altar, but remembering the original story of how Saunière supposedly found his parchments in a cracked pillar. What is pretty clear is that no cracked pillars have been found so perhaps the story is allegorical. For indeed the story of a weeping virgin in front of a cracked pillar reading from a book has significant meaning in masonic circles and indeed the black and white chequered flooring of the church and the two pillars seems to reinforce this view. Remember of course that underneath this frieze there used to be the phrase (found also on the parchment):flooring of the church and the two pillars seems to reinforce this view. Remember of course that underneath this frieze there used to be the phrase (found also on the parchment):