Question from Scott:
Who do you think hid the parchments at Rennes-le-Château in the first place and how would Berenger Sauniere have figured this out in the 1900's if he did?
Different authors about the subject of Sauniere's parchments have different theories on where he found them.
One theory claims they were hidden inside a hollow compartment of one of the visigothic pillars of the main altar. They were believed to be discovered in 1887 when workmen tasked to replace the main altar removed the stone table on top of the pillars. The dimensions of the small hollow compartment is about 8 centimetres in depth, with square sides of 12 centimetres each. This is clearly too small to contain the two parchments.
Another theory claims it was discovered in 1891 when work on replacing the pulpit began. The workmen, whose task it was to demolish the pulpit, rocked the massive piece of wood that supported the pulpit, which is called the baluster. The demolition was hard and the baluster was thrown on the ground without any care for the object. The workmen had been asked to leave for a break, so that Sauniere might have free reign to carry out his own research. But the elderly verger of the church (whose name was Antoine Captier) had to ring the angelus for the evening service as usual. On his way down from the belltower, he suddenly saw something shining in the top part of the old wooden baluster which had been thrown on its side during the restoration work. The piece of wood which enclosed the niche where there was wedged a glass phial containing a rolled-up parchment had dropped out. Antoine Captier gave this phial to Sauniere.
While some authors believe that the hollow compartment inside the baluster is where the 2 coded parchments were found, others say that the parchment found inside this compartment is a different parchment altogether.
These authors say that this parchment was signed by Jean Bigou, uncle of Antoine Bigou, both of whom were Sauniere's predecessors as priest of the parish. And that written in this parchment was a clue which leads to the secret site where the Tomb of the Lords of Rennes is to be found.
The "Dalle des Chevaliers", or Knight's stone was the point of access to this tomb becoming its seal, at the same time effectively hiding the entrance to the secret tomb inside.
Now I believe that inside this secret tomb was where Berenger Sauniere discovered the two coded parchments, together with a great amount of treasure which made him unbelievably wealthy. It was after he discovered the glass phial inside the baluster in 1891 that Sauniere lived a lavish and luxurius lifestyle as if he had access to an inexhaustible fortune.
Jean Bigou, the one who signed the parchment inside the glass phial, was the parish priest of Rennes-le-Chateau church from 1736 to 1774.
It was during these years, specifically from 1758 to 1760 that the Count of St. Germain resided in the royal Château de Chambord, where King Louis XV of France gave him a suite of apartments including a laboratory where he conducted his alchemical experiments.
Was the Count of St. Germain the one who instructed Jean Bigou to hide the treasure and parchments inside the tomb and seal it, just like I believe he was the one who instructed the Anson family to construct the Shugborough monument and to hide two safe boxes there?
The last person recorded to have been buried inside this tomb or crypt was Monsieur Henry du Vernet, who died in 1724.
The Château de Chambord becomes an important link between the Count of St. Germain and the two coded parchments hidden inside the secret Tomb of the Lords of Rennes. This is because, one of the first and major donors in the renovation work done on the Rennes-le-Chateau church by Berenger Sauniere was the Countess of Chambord. She gave Sauniere no less than 3000 French francs in 1886, and this was before Sauniere discovered any hidden documents or treasure inside the church.
Was the Countess of Chambord aware of the great treasure and important parchments hidden inside the Rennes-le-Chateau church which were still undiscovered at the time she donated money? Afterall, she and her close family have access to the Château de Chambord where Count St. Germain may have left some clues about the existence of such treasure and documents. Did she inform Sauniere about this and ask him to recover them for her?
The Countess died in 1886 before Sauniere discovered the secret tomb in 1891.
Why was the Count of St. Germain hiding so many important objects in different places? Could it be that he will be needing these objects and documents when he returns to fulfill his destiny as the Great Catholic Monarch from France sometime in the near future?