All artists see with the heart, a higher spirituality.
Anonymous Priory of Sion member
The ideal to which Sion aspires – that of influencing society through culture – requires that throughout history it has at its disposal many creative individuals. As Nic Haywood put it,
‘It draws its members from literature, the arts, ecclesiastical [circles]. They are spiritually orientated, philosophical. They are approached to join.’
The Priory of Sion actively recruits ‘sensitives’ – artists, those who already communicate the immutable truth, as well as alchemists and ‘bloodline’ families. The bloodline families are those who are believed to be direct descendants of Jesus and Mary Magdalene or in some cases the disciples of Jesus. These tend to be European aristocracy. The work of artists is said to vibrate at a higher level that can be recognized by adepts. Certain symbols also signpost esoteric meaning within works of art, such as the reversed letter ‘N’, as seen in the signature of Emile Signol (1804–92), whose works adorn Saint-Sulpice church in Paris.
There is a saying that if you ask for a teacher one will appear. The teacher/pupil relationship is central to the transmission of information through generations, whether it is via a secret society or in the private confines of an alchemist’s laboratory. This transmission goes from person to person and in this way the knowledge is protected from the curse of forgetting.
Sion has always maintained that it has managed to influence society through the ages. But how could it have done so without having educated key individuals in its cause?
In the 1950s Sion deposited a collection of documents called the Dossiers Secrets (secret dossiers) in the Bibliothèque Nationale, the French National Library. Among this collection was a list of Grand Masters of the order reaching back to the Crusades. The subject of much interest and speculation, it reads as a ‘wish list’ of prominent members for any secret society claiming historic credibility. It is now agreed, both within and outside Sion, that this list is not accurate and may have been used to attract like-minded individuals or members who have lost contact with the order. However, the list of Grand Masters includes alchemists, artists and members of bloodline families and as such certainly goes some way to illustrate the ideals of Sion. Here is the list of Grand Masters, with their periods of office, as given in a copy of the Dossiers Secrets sent to me by Nic:
1. Jean de Gisors (1188–1220)
2. Marie de Saint-Clair (1220–66)
3. Guillaume de Gisors (1266–1307)
4. Edouard de Bar (1307–36)
5. Jeanne de Bar (1336–51)
6. Jean de Saint-Clair (1351–66)
7. Blanche d’Evreux (1366–98)
8. Nicolas Flamel (1398–1418)
9. René d’Anjou (1418–80)
10. Yolande de Bar (1480–83)
11. Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi (Sandro Botticelli, 1483–1510)
12. Leonardo da Vinci (1510–19)
13. Connétable de Bourbon (Charles, Duke of Bourbon, 1519–27)
14. Ferdinand de Gonzague (Ferdinando or Ferrante Gonzaga, 1527–75)
15. Louis de Nevers (1575–95)
16. Robert Fludd (1595–1637)
17. Johann Valentin Andrea (1637–54)
18. Robert Boyle (1654–91)
19. Isaac Newton (1691–1727)
20. Charles Radclyffe (1727–46)
21. Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine (1746–80)
22. Archduke Maximilian Franz of Austria (1780–1801)
23. Charles Nodier (1801–44)
24. Victor Hugo (1844–85)
25. Claude Debussy (1885–1918)
26. Jean Cocteau (1918–63)
At one point I was given the impression that at least part of the Grand Master list was accurate and that Leonardo da Vinci and Fludd had indeed been Grand Masters. It seems that Sion maintains a loose willingness to uphold the credibility of this list.
I asked Nic why there is a fluctuation in the list between Grand Masters drawn from aristocratic families and those who were men of the arts. He explained that the old noble families were the custodians of ‘the secret’ – the mystery that lies at the heart of Sion – and many of these families had commissioned artists to promote their concerns. The artists, he said, took an interest because it is fundamentally a ‘philosophical secret’.
There are many works available on each of the individuals in the Grand Master list and many researchers have scrutinized their works for clues to their links with the Priory of Sion, so I shall avoid repeating that in detail. And for reasons that will soon become clear, I shall not linger on this list save for a few examples of interest.
Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) and Dutch fellow artist Hieronymus Bosch (1450–1516) are known to have met on occasion in Florence. It would have made for an interesting exchange of ideas and philosophies. The work of Bosch contains many heretical and Cathar themes and at least one author, Lynda Harris (in The Secret Heresy of Hieronymus Bosch) makes a very good case that in origin his family were Cathar refugees from southwestern France. The Cathar belief that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married is in keeping with the beliefs of Sion and will be covered later.
Of the old families represented in the Grand Master list I have encountered that of de Bar, who are still in existence, so at least a few of these families have survived. Since this list came to light there has been the emergence of a trend to create and sell titles of nobility. Even in this age of equality it seems that many still desire to appear of noble origin.
There is also a strong possibility that the original Grand Master list is intended less as a historically accurate record and more of a signpost, highlighting the creators of work that contains keys to the secret. The Dossiers Secrets are telling us that these men are worth further consideration and investigation, that their work will contain something of the ‘underground stream’ of hidden knowledge that is being passed down to us through history. These figures certainly courted heresies and secret wisdom, or had alchemical leanings – all of which Sion promotes.
There is another interesting link. Some of those on the original published list, including Robert Fludd, Johann Valentin Andrea, Robert Boyle, Isaac Newton and Charles Radclyffe, had all either influenced or directly contributed to what became the Byrom Collection papers. These later appeared in The Queen’s Chameleon, a biography of poet John Byrom (1692–1763) by Joy Hancox. Hancox had discovered an entire archive of designs and writings from this period, as well as a list of their names. As this list was not discovered until the 1980s, the compiler of the Dossiers Secrets, which was published in the 1950s, could not have known of its existence.
Hancox’s discoveries showed that this group were in contact with one another. Of particular interest is the fact that two diagrams from two different personal collections of these men have identical mistakes. This is evidence of important symbols being copied and circulated among an intellectual élite with esoteric knowledge and interests. It is likely that they were Rosicrucians, and because Rosicrucianism is effectively a branch of the Priory of Sion (see preceding chapter) this may well explain the appearance of these men on the original Grand Master list published in the Dossiers Secrets.
The Dossiers Secrets list (which was reproduced in The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail) was superseded by a more accurate version published in the September 1989 edition of Vaincre, Sion’s newsletter. This is thought to be closer to a correct list, but is also known to contain errors:
1. Jean-Tim Negri d’Ables (1681–1703)
2. François d’Hautpoul (1703–26)
3. André-Hercule de Rosset (1726–66)
4. Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine (1766–80)
5. Archduke Maximilian Franz of Austria (1780–1801)
6. Charles Nodier (1801–44)
7. Victor Hugo (1844–85)
8. Claude Debussy (1885–1918)
9. Jean Cocteau (1918–63)
10. François Balphangon (1963–9)
11. John Drick (1969–81)
12. Pierre Plantard de Saint-Clair (1981)
13. Philippe de Chérisey (1984–5)
14. Patrice Pelat (1985–9)
15. Pierre Plantard de Saint-Clair (1989)
16. Thomas Plantard de Saint-Clair (1989)
Clearly, some of the more glamorous names from the original list, such as Leonardo da Vinci, have been excluded, although this does not preclude them from having been members. However, this list is not without a few famed and noble persons. Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine and Archduke Maximilian Franz of Austria were both heads of the Teutonic Knights, the third of the great military orders created during the Crusades. De Rosset was a member of the de Fleury family who owned many lands around Rennes-le-Château, and whose family will loom large in other parts of our story. Both are also true of the Negri d’Ables family, who were also deeply embedded in the Rennes-le-Château affair, which will be discussed in greater detail later.
According to Nic Haywood, the succession of Thomas Plantard, the current Grand Master, in 1989 is the subject of ‘an ongoing dispute’ and ‘schism’ that to date ‘remains unresolved’. Thomas himself refuses to enter into a dialogue on the matter.
Finally, Nic confirmed that the 1989 list was as close to accurate as we would get, although it was still not perfect. Even setting aside the disputed rights of Thomas Plantard, said Nic, ‘two names are incorrect.’ These are Pelat, who should not be on the list, and Pierre Plantard, who did not serve a second term.
Nic then chose to supply me with yet another list of Sion ‘brethren’ from the specific period of 17th- and 18th-century France, ‘from the period of Louis XIV to the Revolution’. They are given with their years of birth and death:
Comte de St Germain (dates uncertain; active mid-18th century)
Sigismund Bacstrom (c 1750–1805)
Comte Louis de Chazal (1717–1856)
Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier (1693–1750)
Charles Perrault (1628–1704)
Claude Perrault (1613–88)
Stanislas-Jean de Boufflers (1738–1815)
Jean-Jacques Olier (1608–57)
[St] Vincent de Paul (1581–60)
St Louise de Marillac (1591–1660)
This list provides a snapshot of how Sion influenced society at the time prior to the French Revolution, with the three aspects of Sion clearly represented: the alchemical (St Germain, Bacstrom, de Chazal); the creative (Meissonnier, the Perrault brothers, de Boufflers); and the spiritual (Olier, St Vincent de Paul, St Louise de Marillac). It confirms our suspicions that the underlying thread of Sion is alchemy, and that the vehicle for communicating its esoteric knowledge and wisdom is Rosicrucianism.
Apart from the Comte de St Germain, who remains a largely enigmatic figure, this group seems to revolve around the church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris, with Olier gravitating toward the centre of this group. Since these individuals have clearly been singled out for our attention, they would benefit from some brief explanation.
The ‘immortal’ St Germain has been the subject of much speculation over the years. Like many of the individuals on this list it would take a whole book to fully explore his life and actions. For our purpose, I will give just a few points of interest. The most remarkable thing about the elusive St Germain is his alleged longevity – it is claimed by biographers, including Manly P Hall and Elizabeth Cooper-Oakley, that he manifested among the European aristocracy at various points over a period of 200 years. Hall and Cooper-Oakley also believe that he was of East European royal descent. He was said to be an artist working in paint, music and literature, but very little of his work survives. I can recommend for further reading The Most Holy Trinosophia; a short, symbolic work that is attributed to him. As Nic put it:
‘As for St Germain, it is true that in part “the man who does not die” is synonymous with “the message that does not – cannot – die”. However, in the case of St Germain we would seek to show him an active Brother of Sion.’
St Germain was also said to have taught alchemy to another member on our list, Sigismund Bacstrom.
Believed to be of Scandinavian origin, Bacstrom was a translator of alchemical manuscripts and a member of the Rosicrucians: the record of his initiation into the order is in the library of Glasgow University, Scotland, along with many of his alchemical manuscripts and writings. Bacstrom was initiated into the Rosicrucians by the Comte Louis de Chazal. Nic Haywood was also keen to make it known that Bacstrom had influenced Francis Barrett, one of the great occult writers of his age. Bacstrom, he said, had provided Barrett with the ‘Table of Correspondences’ for his work The Celestial Intelligencer, published as The Magus (London, 1801).
The Comte de Chazal was a Rosicrucian and alchemist who, it has been said, was trained by the Comte de St Germain in Paris in 1740. The dates supplied by Nic of 1717 to 1856 are unlikely to be accurate as this would make his age at death 139. In 1794, he initiated Sigismund Bacstrom into the Rosicrucians on the French island of Mauritius. Both Chazal and Bacstrom claimed to have achieved the ‘Great Work’ of alchemy and perfected the Lapis Philosophorum (Philosopher’s Stone). According to Nic,
‘Chazal did everything in his power to keep Bacstrom on the island [of Mauritius] so that they might “make a Golden Head”. In other words Chazal wanted to show Bacstrom how to accomplish the Magnum Opus [Great Work].’
In psychological terms, the ‘Golden Head’ can be seen as the transcending of the egotistic mind into the enlightened, spiritual mind, but it is also possible to interpret this as something akin to the Templar oracle of the severed head mentioned earlier (see page 26).
Meissonnier was an influential French sculptor, painter, master goldsmith, architect and designer of lavish interiors. While based in Paris he was employed by Louis XV as a goldsmith and interior decorator and also worked on the designs of Saint-Sulpice church, thus cementing his links with Jean-Jacques Olier (see below).
Most famous for his fairy tales, Charles Perrault authored such classics as Cinderella, Mother Goose and Sleeping Beauty, which is considered an alchemical allegory. Sleeping Beauty is also mentioned in Le Serpent Rouge, a document heavily linked to the Rennes-le-Château mystery that will be examined in depth later (see Chapter 10).
History has attempted to reverse the roles of the two Perrault brothers, but during his lifetime Claude was more famous than Charles. An architect, anatomist and scientific author of some repute, he was also a member of the French Academy. The architecture of the east wing of the Louvre stands as a solid reminder of his talents.
The Chevalier de Boufflers studied for the priesthood at Saint-Sulpice but did not take up a position. An author and artist, he was a member of the Knights of Malta and the French Academy. He wrote Aline, Reine de Golconde and his complete works are available in French.
While the others on this list each left their mark on the society of the day, it was the combined efforts of Jean-Jacques Olier, St Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac that had the most profound effect on the spiritual direction of France.
Seventeenth-century France was in spiritual decline. The Catholic Church, while gaining political power and wealth, had lost its connection to the laity. Many of the peasants became Protestants (Huguenots), to whom Henry IV had granted freedom of worship. Into this arena came Vincent de Paul, Marillac, Olier and the various movements founded at Saint-Sulpice (see below, page 53). Their mission seemed to be to revitalize the Church from within and they achieved a certain amount of success and popularity. The Order of Saint-Sulpice and Vincent de Paul’s Order of Lazarists both have links to the Priory of Sion.
A forward-thinking priest, Olier directed his teachings and wealth entirely towards the poor. In 1641 he was given the parish of Saint-Sulpice in Paris. He fought to raise the status of women within the Church and is mentioned by name in the Le Serpent Rouge. Olier’s influence cannot be underestimated as the seminary he created in 1641 despatched priests to all areas of France and became the model for seminaries in all parts of Catholic Christendom. Nic tells us:
‘Bearing in mind that Olier’s mentor was an adept of the alchemical process (having gleaned his “clues” from the distilled material which had been well guarded by our old friends the Templars), he set about a synthesis which was itself known in ecclesiastical circles as a form of heresy, but which could not be suppressed. St Vincent de Paul was present at Olier’s death and witnessed Olier’s final realization that Christianity, as an institution, had been founded upon a vast panoply of disseminated untruths.’
Sion believes that the legacy of Louise de Marillac and St Vincent’s Daughters of Charity had been based upon the benevolent acts of Mary Magdalene and her mission to disseminate a true Christianity and protect the son of Jesus. Certainly the Daughters of Charity’s main concern was the protection of women and orphans. This concern echoes the Masonic cry of ‘Who will protect the Widow’s son?’
St Vincent de Paul was arguably the most famous of this group. Canonized for his charitable works he devoted the latter part of his life to helping the poor and the orphaned. At the same time he quietly set about addressing the spiritual poverty that had overcome France by inspiring and reinvigorating those around him within the church. In the latter part of his life he found a kindred spirit in Meissonnier and together they created the Daughters of Charity. This organization, while providing support to the destitute, was also an attempt to make the role of women more prominent within the Church, in order to redress the balance. The Daughters became a highly respected force within the Catholic Church and denote a subtle shift towards an equality of gender.
Louise de Marillac founded the Sisters of Charity under the direct tutorage of St Vincent de Paul. The Sisters concerned themselves with the housing of widows and orphans and continued the work of Olier and St Vincent de Paul after their deaths. De Marillac’s son, Michel Le Gras, is mentioned earlier in relation to resurrecting the Priory of Sion in order to further the work (see page 34).
By throwing the spotlight on this specific period of history, Sion has illustrated how its associates came together to capitalize on the general ambivalence of the masses to play an active role in the spiritual wellbeing of the population while subtly influencing the theological direction of the Catholic Church. These individuals helped to reinstate spirituality as a force in France in a way that also embraced their own ideologies, under the cover of the Church and popular culture.
The church and seminary of Saint-Sulpice in Paris has an important role to play in this story. For many centuries it has been the epicentre of heretical thought and esoteric learning in France and an expression of Sion’s aims. The library at Saint-Sulpice, where academics gathered to translate rare and ancient religious manuscripts, has educated and inspired the likes of Eliphas Lévi, the celebrated 19th-century occultist. As it was a centre for learning, translations of rare and esoteric documents from across Christendom would have found their way into its library. Anyone with access to enough apocryphal material and writings that present an alternative Christianity, such as Saint-Sulpice holds, could not help but be swayed into diverse forms of Christian thought. Lévi, for example, went on to write Transcendental Magic and works on Tarot and Kabbalah. He greatly influenced Aleister Crowley and many of the 20th century’s most important magical writers and groups.
Another Priory of Sion member, who wishes to remain anonymous, stated in relation to the mystery of Rennes-le-Château that the priest of that village visited the academic translators of Saint-Sulpice at the time of Joséphin Péladan (1858–1918), who headed the Salon de la Rose-Croix in the late 19th century (see page 34).
Other members of the Saint-Sulpice seminary around this time included another French occultist, Papus (1865–1916), whose Tarot designs and writings are still in use today. Papus helped Péladan found the Order of Rose+Croix of the Temple and Grail, one of the many Priory of Sion branches. Péladan’s Rose+Croix also has links to the artist Nicolas Poussin, whose work will feature later in this story, in that it was attended by the Comte de la Rochefoucauld (1862–1960). La Rochefoucauld was thought to be in possession of Poussin’s early papers, stolen by one of the count’s ancestors.
All this adds to the impression that important and diverse ideas and documents were in circulation at this time in Paris. Evidence for secret information still exists in the church of Saint-Sulpice, with Olier himself directing us to its existence. In Le Serpent Rouge mention is made of Olier ‘putting his hand to his mouth’. The bust of Olier on display in Saint-Sulpice shows no such action, but if you examine the murals in the church a fresco in the Chapel of St John has an additional figure. Looking out from the painting is none other than Olier, with his right hand to his mouth as if to indicate silence. Beneath his left arm is a pile of scrolls. The documents that Olier is holding – the secret that he is indicating with his finger of silence – could well be the source material relating to these esoteric fields.
The library at Saint-Sulpice was said to contain a number of important manuscripts, some of which form part of Sion’s archives. In 2005 these manuscripts were removed from the church to prevent them being accessed by myself and the Bloodline documentary team. At this stage it became apparent that some members of Sion were less than happy with Nic Haywood’s candour and were actively trying to impede our progress. Since that time my investigations have been dogged by material being diverted or removed from circulation. As yet this remains unresolved and Appendix 1 (Documentation) covers some of what I was expecting to find.
Sion maintains that many of the more overtly Christian members of its order were based around Saint-Sulpice, by which are implied Olier, his associates and the later occult and Rosicrucian groups.
Another interesting aspect of Saint-Sulpice is the fact that the Paris Meridian passes through it. The Paris Meridian was used on French maps as the prime meridian (0º longitude) even after the current Greenwich Meridian was internationally agreed in 1884. The meridian is marked in the church by a marble dolmen. Dolmens in all ages and cultures represent the male phallus, particularly those raised after the Egyptian tradition, in which they represent the phallus of the god Osiris, which according to myth was cast into the Nile by Seth, the god of chaos, and lost.
The Paris Meridian continues on down through France and passes within a few miles of Rennes-le-Château, and closer still to the ruined tomb at Pontils, which is said to be the subject of Poussin’s famous painting Et in Arcadia Ego (The Shepherds of Arcadia). Some describe the shepherdess in this painting as the Egyptian goddess Isis, but any feminine archetype is appropriate.
The Paris Meridian is also known as the ‘Rose Line’, the line of secrets. As used by the Rosicrucians, the rose is a symbol of secrets. It has also been likened through the Phonetic Kabbalah to Rosslyn Chapel and to St Roseline – of which more later (see page 250).
We have reached the point where both the secret societies and the work of their individual members are beginning to coalesce into a clearer picture of the Priory of Sion. The stage is set for the secrets that Sion sought to protect to come to light. For centuries it built up a body of knowledge and kept this as a private matter, only for the initiated. But then two things happened to help bring this knowledge into the open. The first was the action of a priest in France at the end of the 19th century, and the second was the publicizing of the Priory of Sion itself by Pierre Plantard in the 1970s. Sion had decided to go public.