The Stèle of Blanchefort and Noel CORBU
In July 1962, the ‘Treasure Searchers Club’ under the presidency of Robert Charroux, and the journalist Robert Arnaut of France Inter, recorded a visit to Rennes-le-Château (1). During the two distinct parts of the meeting, one part was held in the church and the other within the cemetery at Rennes-le-Château. Robert Charroux questioned Noel Corbu, their guest, about the engraved stones (2). Here is what they say in the church:
Noel Corbu - The abbé Bérenger tried to cover tracks because initially he had found the parchments and then in the cemetery there was a flagstone tomb of the countess of Haupoul Blanchefort, of which he removed all the inscriptions with a chisel during several days while being locked up with the key, in the cemetery. So much so that the municipal council was moved by it and prohibited him to continue his work. Consequently, he must have had a powerful reason to scramble, and finally destroy that kind of evidence.
Robert Charroux - This flagstone, is it still in the cemetery?
Noel Corbu - It is still in the absolutely virgin cemetery but.....
Robert Charroux - But we will be able to go and to see it presently?
Noel Corbu - Yes!
Robert Charroux - Mr. Corbu has also just spoken to us about a certain Mr. Cros who, in 1928, came to seek and found in the cemetery these same stones!
Noel Corbu - He found a flagstone in the cemetery which carried a precise inscription. He found another flagstone, the coumesourde stone which also carries precise indications and it is certain that they have, how would I say, an unspecified significance. Moreover even by taking the different points from this flagstone, I did one triangulation which gave nevertheless some interesting results.
Robert Charroux - You thus here have a triangle. I see SAE - SIS, it is not the same thing then…? [as the tombstone of the Countess Hautpoul]
Noel Corbu - No, this is the stone of Coumesourde which was also found by Mr. Cros which carries other indications. I made an experiment of triangulation on the basis of precise points which gave the discovery of a stone monolith which, until now, did not deliver its secret still!
Robert Charroux - That is, you took the bisectrices of these angles there, is this not the step?
Noel Corbu - Yes
Robert Charroux - But where do these angles leave from? What do these angles mean and what do they represent?
Noel Corbu - Eh well, SAE, according to what I know from the Latin point of view, means Sub Altarum Iglesias, i.e. under the high altar of the church. SIS, it is probably an old French word which means here. And with these two points, obviously one can manage to make an equilateral triangle since initially Rennes was under the sign of the Ram [Bélier] and that the Ram is inscribed in a triangle and by making this equilateral triangle and the bisectrices, one falls at a precise point.
Robert Charroux - Then, you would need to obtain more information, to know those indications which were reproduced on the stones of Rennes-le-Château which Mr Cros took to Paris with him?
Noel Corbu - Exactly. It is the information of the two stones that Mr Cros took to Paris and, it is certain that he misses words and I would be happy to find these stones, and using modern processes of detection, I can find the words which are missing.
Robert Charroux - Good then all in all, one could send a message to Paris, perhaps a Museum … ?
Noel Corbu … museum yes…
Robert Charroux … in a museum, or perhaps a family, somebody, where these stones exist …
Noel Corbu … yes, there are two stones, rather coarse triangular forms…
Robert Charroux … which dimensions?
Noel Corbu - Eh well, it must be about half a square metre.
Robert Charroux - A half square metre, that's thirty centimetres in length?
Noel Corbu - Thirty to forty centimetres in length yes, about. And with the inscriptions, if one finds the inscriptions - the inscriptions will help to be able to identify them. You have at one end P and S, REDDIS - R.E.D.D.I.S-, REGIS - R.E.G.I.S-. And below Reddis you have CELLIS - C.E.L.I.S-, which are separated by bars, then you have ARCIS which is under the words Regis - A.R.C.I.S-, and lastly at the bottom end you have P.R.A.E hyphen CUM - C.U.M-.
Robert Charroux - Then here: so the Parisians know where these stones are, which carry the individual words Reddis, Cellis, Regis, Arcis and Prae-cum, well let us kindly request them to, in relation to French Radio Diffusion, France 1, and the Treasure Searchers Club - tell us if these stones exist and where they exist. The words which are on the second stone that Mr. Corbu seeks.
Noel Corbu - Then, you have at the end of triangle S.A.E. With the second S.I.S. you have IN MEDIO with a cross pattée, a Templar cross pattée. You have on the other side LINEA UBI. The lower part M SECAT - S.E.C.A.T-, then LINEA PARVAT. You then again have the P.S then PRAE-CUM and one Templar cross which ends at the third branch of the triangle. (3)
The rest of the conversation continues in the cemetery.
Robert Charroux - Then is the flagstone of the Countess, this? Is this what we see here?
Noel Corbu - The flagstone of the Countess, it is this flagstone which is here, absolutely devoid of all inscriptions since the priest has ...
Robert Charroux … Erased?
Noel Corbu - … Erased in a perfect way. Now, I think that the time will come when these inscriptions will reappear ... How can I say — by a special process?
Robert Charroux - Chemical?
Noel Corbu - Chemical and especially optics.
Robert Charroux - Is the flagstone at the front or back currently?
Noel Corbu -Eh well, one cannot know, because the two sides are similar.
Robert Charroux - It appears perfectly polished?
Noel Corbu - Perfectly polished.
Robert Charroux - In any case, there is absolutely nothing. We have detected already for a few minutes on this flagstone and around the flagstone, four or five meters, and then there, really, really, here is absolutely no inch of metal ....
In the first part of the dialogue recorded in the church, after Noel Corbu refers to the flagstone in the ossuary, Robert Charroux proposes to go to see it later in the cemetery. Then he talks of the anonymous document attributed to the engineer Ernest Cros, which circulated soon within Rennes-the-Château i.e. at the end of 1959 (4). He describes the Coumesourde stone and the flagstone - Reddis Regis Cellis Arcis.
Persuaded that these stones are both in Paris, Noel Corbu benefits then from the invitation of Robert Charroux to go on a research trip bound for the Capital in the hope of finding the ’missing stones’. By doing this they can locate the stones and then use modern processes to reconstruct the words which they believe are missing. In the second part of the ‘interview’, which takes place in the cemetery, Noel Corbu speaks this time of the stone of the lady of Blanchefort whose inscriptions were, he says, erased by Bérenger Saunière. He has the hope however to make them reappear by employing chemical and optical processes! What this tells us is that Noel Corbu, in connection with the flagstone in the ossuary in the cemetery, unquestionably was well informed, by the testimonies of the villagers in particular, of the existence of a stone comprising of inscriptions, located on the original tombstone of the Lady of Rennes-le-Château.
The many articles which appear during the Fifties and at the beginning of the Sixties in the regional press and the national press generally echo what Corbu says here. Through the chronology of these publications it allows us to judge the state of the knowledge of the Affair at the particular time of publication . In particular, the spouse of Ribière, published in January 1958, in number 56 of the review Tout Savoir , about their visit [to Rennes-le-Château] and who documented (5) this. Thus they locate in the ossuary the flagstone of the marchioness. In 1962, the year of the recordings of Robert Anaut, under the pseudonym of Yves Saint-Saviol, a text is published in the Journal Noir et Blanc under the title ‘Hunting for the billions is open’.
Above - “One still wonders why astonishingly, he erased all the inscriptions on the tomb of the countess of Blanchefort in the cemetery, of which he had made an encircle of a wall (left) around it. His new and mysterious fortune, abbé Saunières employed it to set up the Tour “Magdala”, dominating the admirable landscape, at the edge of the escarpé ravine. In the village, close to the ruins of the châteaufort, he constructed a modern building, the “Bethanie Villa”, which served as his new presbytery”.
Extract of the article of Micheline and Jean Ribière (1958).
One can also notice that, during the period 1956 - 1967, the stone in the ossuary is generally described as being " a dalle" or "a stone tombale". In later documents (approximately 1970), this stone is described as being " a stèle". It is exclusively in the document ‘The Mérovingian Descendants or the Enigma of Visigoth Razès’ by Madeleine Blancasall,’ whose date of the registration of its copyright at the National library is on August 28, 1965, which, for the first time, announces the stone’s position as " levée". It is in
this document which figures, since the Tisseyre document of 1906, the second reproduction of this stone “according to files of SESA” (6).
Extract of the article of Micheline and Jean Ribière (1958).
One can also notice that, during the period 1956 - 1967, the stone in the ossuary is generally described as being " a dalle" or "a stone tombale". In later documents (approximately 1970), this stone is described as being " a stèle". It is exclusively in the document ‘The Mérovingian Descendants or the Enigma of Visigoth Razès’ by Madeleine Blancasall,’ whose date of the registration of its copyright at the National library is on August 28, 1965, which, for the first time, announces the stone’s position as " levée". It is in
this document which figures, since the Tisseyre document of 1906, the second reproduction of this stone “according to files of SESA” (6).
Above - TOMB STONES: Reproduction according to the files of the SESA in Carcassonne of the three strange " dalles" of Rennes-le-Château. The first, that of SIGEBERT IV, SIGEBERT V & of BERA III, dated to 771. Second and third; an upright and a lying stone, with a code—the first stone found in the church of Saint Madeleine in 1891. The second and third flagstones formed the tomb of the Lady of BLANCHEFORT in the cemetery close to the bell-tower of the church. M. B. Extract of Madeleine Blancasall (7). Photographs published in 1962 in the newspaper Noir and Blanc (8)
But it is probable that this anonymous text of Madeleine Blancasall knew few readers within Rennes-le-Château. It is first widely known after 1967, when Gerard of Sède published the Gold of Rennes, mentioning it in the bibliography (9). This revealing index makes it possible to say that the stone of the marchioness was raised, of course, the particular form of its top at a peak. One will consequently distinguish it from the other stones by the name "stele". However, when he speaks about this stone, Noel Corbu indicates that lying in the ossuary which, at that time, was a rectangular stone! Corbu is also confused— in the radio broadcast of 1962, he calls this stone a triangular form with the two other flagstones, Reddis Regis Cellis Arcis and that of Coumesourde, which he believes is in Paris and for which he says in substance: “they are two stones of rather coarse triangular form besides…”.
In indicating the lying rectangular stone in the ossuary Noel Corbu proves inevitably that he did not know the particular shape of the stone, reproduced in the bulletin of 1906 of SÈSA. But what he also says regarding this stone shows that he was unaware of the text of it.
In the article of 1958 of the Ribière couple, those, reproducing the version of " Corbu" , say the death of the countess of Blanchefort was around 1600! How could they communicate such erroneous information if they had been informed of the epitaph where this date of 1781 is clearly quoted?
It is the report of the engineer Cros that allows Noel Corbu to learn the exact date of death: 17th day of January 1781, at the age of 61 years. His ignorance of the text on the stele is the reason for which he nourishes the hope to make it reappear: “Now, I think that one will arrive, perhaps in a certain time, to make these inscriptions reappear with - how you say - of the special processes”. But his ignorance of the engraved epitaph and that of its form, which in fact was a raised stone, also proves that at the time when the radio broadcast aired in July 1962, Noel Corbu did not know the report of the excursion organized by Elie Tisseyre in 1905 which comprises the depiction of this stone. And that, supreme paradox, if he were member of SESA!
Notes
La suite de cette étude, La Stèle de Blanchefort, Noël Corbu, et Pierre Plantard, est publiée dans le bulletin n° 5, Parle-moi de Rennes-le-Château, paru en septembre 2008 : http://jhaldezos.free.fr/livres/periodiques.html
(1) Un article de La Dépêche du Midi du 1 août 1962 dont le titre est Lorsque le Club des Chercheurs de trésors et la R.T.F. s’intéressent à Rennes-le-Château indique que le livre Trésors du Monde (Fayard) de Robert Charroux fut publié avant l’enregistrement de l’émission radiophonique de juillet 1962.
(2) Le texte de cette émission est intégralement retranscrit dans le bulletin Parle-moi de RLC de 2005 (pages 23 à 40). Dans sa v version sonore, l’émission peut être écoutée Sur Le site internet de l’association RLC.doc : http://jhaldezos.free.fr/pageprincipale/rcharrouxsonore.html
(3) Dans La Dépêche du Midi du 1 août 1962 déjà cité, l’auteur de article retraçant les détections faites durant l’émission radiophonique de juillet 1962 lance un appel pour tenter de retrouver les deux pierres décrites par Noël Corbu : Appel aux auditeurs parisiens. Ils sont d’autant plus permis ces espoirs qu’un appel sera lancé sur les ondes pour retrouver deux pierres triangulaires portant diverses inscriptions clé. Ces deux pierres seraient à Paris. L’une porte les inscriptions suivantes : « P.S. reddis celis regis arcis praecum » et l’autre : « Sae sus in media linea ubi M cecat linea parva P.S. praecum. ».
(4) C’est le document lui-même qui apporte cette précision en évoquant la disparition d’un croix près de Lavaldieu au début 1959.
(5) Cet article est lisible sur le site à l'adresse : http://jhaldezos.free.fr/pressetmagazines/Tout_Savoir_1958.html
(6) A la différence de la version remaniée du document Blancasall publié en 1994 dans la collection "Couleur Ocre" qui montre la stèle de la marquise via la page 6 du tiré à part du compte rendu d'excursion, l'original Blancasall de 1965 montre la page 101 du bulletin de la Sésa.
(7) Dans son commentaire, l'apocryphe précise encore que les trois étranges dalles (celle du chevalier, la stèle de la marquise et celle Reddis Regis Cellis Arcis) sont reproduites d'après les archives de la Sésa. C'est exact pour les deux premières, puisque la dalle du chevalier a été reproduite en 1927 par Henri Guy (Bull. Sésa, tome XXXI, p. 197), tandis que la stèle de la marquise figure à la page 101 du tome XVII du bulletin de la Sésa paru en 1906. Mais c'est entièrement faux pour ce qui concerne la troisième pierre (Reddis Regis Cellis Arcis) qui n’apparaît en fait que vers 1961 dans le rapport attribué à Ernest Cros avec des inscriptions moindres que celles données dans l'apocryphe. La version corrigée du document "Blancassal" de 1994 donne le commentaire suivant : « La deuxième dalle (la stèle) formait la tombe des femmes de Blanchefort, dans le cimetière, près du clocher de l'église. » qui est différent de celui du document original qui indique : « La deuxième et troisième dalle formaient la tombe des femmes de Blanchefort dans le cimetière près du clocher de l’église. ».
(8) Avant d’être cassée en trois morceaux, en juillet 1971, la dalle de l’ossuaire mesurait 145 à 146 centimètres de longueur, 69 à 70 centimètres de largeur et 11,5 à 12 centimètres d’épaisseur.
(9) L'Or de Rennes, Julliard 1967, p. 179. Signalons toutefois que jamais l’original de ce document n’a été publié jusqu’à récemment sur le présent site : http://jhaldezos.free.fr/elements_insolites/Madeleine_Blancasall.html
My thanks to Patrick Mensior for permission to translate this article. Any errors of translation are mine alone. Apologies to Monsieur Mensior in advance. The object of the translation was to give a flavour of the article and I hope i have done so.
In the article of 1958 of the Ribière couple, those, reproducing the version of " Corbu" , say the death of the countess of Blanchefort was around 1600! How could they communicate such erroneous information if they had been informed of the epitaph where this date of 1781 is clearly quoted?
It is the report of the engineer Cros that allows Noel Corbu to learn the exact date of death: 17th day of January 1781, at the age of 61 years. His ignorance of the text on the stele is the reason for which he nourishes the hope to make it reappear: “Now, I think that one will arrive, perhaps in a certain time, to make these inscriptions reappear with - how you say - of the special processes”. But his ignorance of the engraved epitaph and that of its form, which in fact was a raised stone, also proves that at the time when the radio broadcast aired in July 1962, Noel Corbu did not know the report of the excursion organized by Elie Tisseyre in 1905 which comprises the depiction of this stone. And that, supreme paradox, if he were member of SESA!
Notes
La suite de cette étude, La Stèle de Blanchefort, Noël Corbu, et Pierre Plantard, est publiée dans le bulletin n° 5, Parle-moi de Rennes-le-Château, paru en septembre 2008 : http://jhaldezos.free.fr/livres/periodiques.html
(1) Un article de La Dépêche du Midi du 1 août 1962 dont le titre est Lorsque le Club des Chercheurs de trésors et la R.T.F. s’intéressent à Rennes-le-Château indique que le livre Trésors du Monde (Fayard) de Robert Charroux fut publié avant l’enregistrement de l’émission radiophonique de juillet 1962.
(2) Le texte de cette émission est intégralement retranscrit dans le bulletin Parle-moi de RLC de 2005 (pages 23 à 40). Dans sa v version sonore, l’émission peut être écoutée Sur Le site internet de l’association RLC.doc : http://jhaldezos.free.fr/pageprincipale/rcharrouxsonore.html
(3) Dans La Dépêche du Midi du 1 août 1962 déjà cité, l’auteur de article retraçant les détections faites durant l’émission radiophonique de juillet 1962 lance un appel pour tenter de retrouver les deux pierres décrites par Noël Corbu : Appel aux auditeurs parisiens. Ils sont d’autant plus permis ces espoirs qu’un appel sera lancé sur les ondes pour retrouver deux pierres triangulaires portant diverses inscriptions clé. Ces deux pierres seraient à Paris. L’une porte les inscriptions suivantes : « P.S. reddis celis regis arcis praecum » et l’autre : « Sae sus in media linea ubi M cecat linea parva P.S. praecum. ».
(4) C’est le document lui-même qui apporte cette précision en évoquant la disparition d’un croix près de Lavaldieu au début 1959.
(5) Cet article est lisible sur le site à l'adresse : http://jhaldezos.free.fr/pressetmagazines/Tout_Savoir_1958.html
(6) A la différence de la version remaniée du document Blancasall publié en 1994 dans la collection "Couleur Ocre" qui montre la stèle de la marquise via la page 6 du tiré à part du compte rendu d'excursion, l'original Blancasall de 1965 montre la page 101 du bulletin de la Sésa.
(7) Dans son commentaire, l'apocryphe précise encore que les trois étranges dalles (celle du chevalier, la stèle de la marquise et celle Reddis Regis Cellis Arcis) sont reproduites d'après les archives de la Sésa. C'est exact pour les deux premières, puisque la dalle du chevalier a été reproduite en 1927 par Henri Guy (Bull. Sésa, tome XXXI, p. 197), tandis que la stèle de la marquise figure à la page 101 du tome XVII du bulletin de la Sésa paru en 1906. Mais c'est entièrement faux pour ce qui concerne la troisième pierre (Reddis Regis Cellis Arcis) qui n’apparaît en fait que vers 1961 dans le rapport attribué à Ernest Cros avec des inscriptions moindres que celles données dans l'apocryphe. La version corrigée du document "Blancassal" de 1994 donne le commentaire suivant : « La deuxième dalle (la stèle) formait la tombe des femmes de Blanchefort, dans le cimetière, près du clocher de l'église. » qui est différent de celui du document original qui indique : « La deuxième et troisième dalle formaient la tombe des femmes de Blanchefort dans le cimetière près du clocher de l’église. ».
(8) Avant d’être cassée en trois morceaux, en juillet 1971, la dalle de l’ossuaire mesurait 145 à 146 centimètres de longueur, 69 à 70 centimètres de largeur et 11,5 à 12 centimètres d’épaisseur.
(9) L'Or de Rennes, Julliard 1967, p. 179. Signalons toutefois que jamais l’original de ce document n’a été publié jusqu’à récemment sur le présent site : http://jhaldezos.free.fr/elements_insolites/Madeleine_Blancasall.html
My thanks to Patrick Mensior for permission to translate this article. Any errors of translation are mine alone. Apologies to Monsieur Mensior in advance. The object of the translation was to give a flavour of the article and I hope i have done so.