Hilltop village in southern France where priest Bérenger Saunière discovered mysterious parchments in 1891 that led to unexplained wealth. A focal point in Templar treasure theories connecting the Cathar treasure to the Knights Templar and potentially to Oak Island.
About This Site
Rennes-le-Château is a hilltop village in the Aude department of southern France that has become one of the most studied sites in the history of treasure hunting and esoteric research. In 1891, the village priest Bérenger Saunière reportedly discovered a set of mysterious parchments hidden inside a hollow pillar while renovating the Church of Mary Magdalene. Shortly afterwards, Saunière began spending enormous sums of money on renovations, construction, and personal projects far beyond the means of a rural parish priest, fueling speculation that the parchments led him to a hidden treasure. The village sits in the heart of the Languedoc region, which was both a Cathar stronghold and a centre of Templar activity during the 12th and 13th centuries. Theories about the source of Saunière's wealth range from Cathar treasure and Templar gold to Visigothic royal treasure and sacred religious relics.
Connection to Oak Island
In Season 2, Marty and Alex Lagina visited Rennes-le-Château with researcher Kathleen McGowan, who described it as the most enigmatic and mysterious place in France. At a house bearing an iron Templar cross above the door, the group met Tobi, a modern-day Knight Templar and Templar historian. Tobi confirmed that a Templar treasure existed, that it was never found, and that the Knights Templar were persecuted by King Philip IV of France, who on Friday, October 13, 1307, ordered their arrest and burned many at the stake.
The village's significance to Oak Island lies in its position along the theoretical treasure route: McGowan argued that sacred objects, including what she identified as the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail, were moved from the Cathar fortress of Montségur through Templar territory in southern France and eventually transported to Oak Island. The connections between the Cathar treasure, the Knights Templar, and the later Masonic and Rosicrucian traditions that emerged in Scotland after the order's suppression form a central thread in theories linking European medieval history to the Oak Island mystery.
Fieldwork Notes
Visited during Season 2 by Marty Lagina and Alex Lagina with researcher Kathleen McGowan. Templar historian Tobi confirmed the existence of Templar treasure and its connection to the order's suppression in 1307. Also referenced in Season 6 research. The village serves as a key waypoint in the theoretical treasure route from southern France through Scotland to Nova Scotia.
