Web of Gold: The Secret History of Sacred Treasures [Hardcover]

This is by far the best book on the Rennes-le-Chateau mystery and the Priory of Sion since the publication of Holy Blood, Holy Grail.

If these subjects interest you: very highly recommended! A MUST READ.

I have read a lot of books about the subject of Rennes-le-Chateau and considere myself as very critic when we know the bad quality of most of books.

Unfortunately, the Web of Gold, for most of its content, is not that good. It states that the treasure of RLC is the lost treasure of the Temple of Jerusalem, the same way as some people in the past declared that it was the lost tomb of Jesus. From one to the other, I prefere not to chose any.

The second part of the book is more interesting since it deals with more sure facts, like the life of Pierre Plantard de Saint-Clair, and we learn a lot about the craziness that took RLC since the 1960s.

But here again, the authors subjectively judge some facts and present them as the "most" possible, which is far from being true. I would for example quote the fact that the Martinist Order know where the location of the treasure is. All this ... waste the otherwise good parts of the book.

Anyway, it worth reading it since some never release information that can be trusted are presented there.

But the readers should keep themselves very prudent in believing anything in that story that does not have any source.

The book opens by taking a look at the various Temples of Jerusalem and the vast and impressive treasures housed within their walls; the Roman occupation and sacking of the Temple of Jerusalem by Titus and following on from this an account of the Visigoths along with their spectacular prize the capture of the city of Rome in 410 AD. Guy attempts to outline the history of the treasure for the next two hundred years or so and shows that there is some evidence to support the theory that much of this vast hoard may well still be housed somewhere beneath the soil of this region of France. Another possible treasure is introduced in the form of that belonging to Blanche of Castille and to add still more interest the possibility that the Knights Templar may also have deposited much of their own wealth in the region. A detailed history of France and the immediate area follows with the inference that the existence and possibly even the whereabouts of the treasure was perhaps known to some of the old rulers of the region. Guy provides a very detailed and thoroughly fascinating account of the Knights Templar from their earliest days up to their enforced "dissolution". He speculates that during their occupation of Jerusalem they may well have had knowledge of some secret cache buried deep beneath the ruins of the ancient temple of Solomon and indeed recent excavations have revealed that the Templars had mined extensively. Whatever they were searching for and possibly found remains a mystery. The history of the Albigensians and of the noble families living in what is today the Languedoc, is described in much detail revealing that from the time of the Templars onward this region was one of the most powerful and influential within Europe. Again there is some speculation that this local power base was either the custodian of a great treasure or was perhaps accessing these hidden resources for its own advantage. The existence of a possible treasure in the region is given some substance by the introduction of a new character, General Dagobert who it is believed actually possessed documentary evidence of the treasure's location. This priceless documentation he entrusted to the Freemasons of which order he was a member. The role of Napoleon within this mystery is instrumental from one very interesting standpoint, namely that it was he who authorised the re-introduction of the Knights Templar although there is fairly substantial evidence to support the theory that this ancient order had never actually died out at all but had simply gone underground. At last the main thrust of the book arrives at the central character within this great mystery, namely the Priest Beranger Sauniere. A fairly comprehensive history of the affair is provided but more interestingly it is shown that Sauniere may well have have been deeply involved with Martinism, a sect devoted to the occult. This idea is developed further with some fascinating insights. The book moves on now to the second world war with the introduction of a new character, Otto Rahn who initially on his own account but later under the supervision of Himler began serious investigations in the area of Montsegur. Although Rahn's involvement was apparently short lived the struggle to find the lost treasure was taken up in earnest by the third Reich and toward the end of the war it is suggested that they did in fact find a large hoard of treasure, some of which was in the form of ancient coins. Guy continues to explore the political map of France and Europe during the post war years and in particular takes a close look at the activities of Francois Mitterand. The character of Pierre Plantard is also introduced to us. A man who has almost single handedly done more to both stimulate and obfuscate the mystery. His role in the affair is further explored in greater detail along with the numerous other participants within the village of Rennes-le-Chateau. The trail to finding the treasure is labyrinthine and filled with intrigue, treachery and skullduggery. The role of the Priory of Sion is also examined and it is shown to be largely the invention of Pierre Plantard, designed to satisfy his own agenda. His involvement with the Vichy Government and murky connections with the ex President of France Francois Mitterand are examined in some detail to show the extent to which corruption permeated French political society. As a finale, Guy delves into the equally murky and corrupt world of the Vatican, its many popes, their finances and their secret agenda to promote the church according to their own very restricted viewpoints.

Guy Patton and Robin Mackness have created a singularly fascinating account of the events surrounding the mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau. It is a study of intrigue, conspiracy, deception and the greed of men to possess a fabulous treasure. Their book is intensely detailed and filled with so much information it is difficult to fully describe it in this short review. I Have been a dedicated researcher of this subject for some 25 years and I have to admit that a great deal of new and very interesting information has been revealed to me through these pages. There is no doubt whatsoever that the most enormous amount of research has gone into the creation of this book. A feat which must be applauded. If you are a serious enthusiast of this subject I would definitely urge you to add this volume to your collection.

Alan Scott - May 16, 2000