I think it’s fair to say that even though the French love books in general, there’s one category in particular they adore – anything revealing the long-lost secrets of the Knights Templar. To a relative outsider (such as me), the 1309 suppression of Les Templiers by the French king comes across as a wound to the national psyche that has required a mile-high Band-aid of literary retribution to attempt to heal.
Of course, the not-so-subtle questions that pretty much everyone actually wants answered are:
(a) “where was the Templar treasure hidden?“, and
(b) “can I have some of it?”
Admittedly, there is a fairly strong case to be made that by 1309 the Templars were probably close to bankrupt. Following the Seventh Crusade (1248-1254), there was effectively no Jerusalem for pilgrims to go on pilgrimage to: and so the whole raison d’etre for the Knights Templar (i.e. protecting pilgrims) had basically vanished. Hence Templar historians I’ve talked with believe that, after 1254, the Order pretty much ‘withered on the vine’, not really taking any new recruits. By 1309, it was an old man’s order, and I suspect its cash reserves had dwindled to close to nothing.
All the same, the romance of secret caches of gold- and jewel-filled barrels remains: and so French armchair treasure-hunters continue to wave their virtual metal detectors over the scantiest morsels of Templar-related texts, hoping that this might just uncover the ultimate secret history haul. Really, Rudy Cambier’s biggest insult against this établissement is his idea that the Templars might deign to bury their precious cargo in Hainaut of all places – when of course, it could only genuinely have be buried in La France! (And let’s not wake up the Sinclair and Oak Island factions here, OK? *sigh*)
Compiling a list of hopeful French Templier-trésor authors would consume decades of anyone’s life: but there’s one whose cycle helmet, in my opinion, is several wheels ahead of the pack. For me the maillot jaune of Templar authors is Alfred Weysen, author of (1972) “L’Île des Veilleurs” (The Island of the Watchers).
Unfortunately, second-hand copies of this are £60+, and the best modern treatment of the same evidence seems to be Paul Amoros, Richard Buadès et Thierry-Emmanuel Garnier’s (2007) “L’Île des Veilleurs, Contre-Enquête sur le Mystère du Verdon et le Trésor de l’Ordre du Temple”, which is currently being reissued (but copies of this also go for £60+). For the moment, these remain only for researchers with particularly deep pockets.
The rest of us will have to make do with this nice French website dedicated to the whole “L’Île des Veilleurs” enigma, which I’ll briefly summarize.
“The Isle of the Watchers” denotes a 66 square kilometre area in Provence, bounded by the towns of Castellane, Le Bourguet, Jabron, Trigance, Soleils and Taloire, and containing Veydon; and by the D252 road to the east and the D955 to the west. The term was coined by Alfred Weysen, though the claim linking the area to Templar treasure first appeared in print in Robert Charroux’s (1962) “Trésors du Monde: Enterrés, Emmurés, Engloutis” [Éditions J’ai Lu].
All the same, Weysen’s book goes far beyond this, by linking all manner of local sites with Templars and other historical narratives. He asserts:
* that Veydon was the subject of Goethe’s 1795 story Das Märchen (Le Conte), or The Green Snake, with Goethe’s having previously been initiated into a centuries-spanning secret society (naturally).
* that a passage connecting La Baume Jardin (The Hermit Cave) to another cave beneath the chapel of St. Trophimus, a Templar church located (unusually) on the side of a mountain.
* that numerous authors support the notion that this area hold Templar treasure.
* that his argument is undoubtedly correct because of various numerological justifications etc etc.
Personally, I have no great interest in unearthing the fabulous wealth of the Templar hoard: anyway, it’ll already take me the rest of my lifetime to spend my share of the Beale treasure. (Ha! As if!) But what does interest me is that Weysen discusses what seems to be a genuine cipher mystery, somewhere in the gorges by Jabron (much loved by canoeists), though it would be somewhat… premature for us to agree that it’s a Templar message just yet, let’s say. And I found a passable picture of the cryptogram here:
What message do these scratchy glyphs hold? Weysen believed that he was able to decrypt them, and that they said…
Salut! Tu es ici dans les terres de la Vraie Croix. Céleste dominant l’éternité, baille aux languissants la clarté.
Well… I’m going to stick my neck out and say that I don’t think this makes a great deal of sense. But if we can get a better picture of this to work with, I reckon we probably can decrypt it between us…
…Is anyone here going on holiday in Provence this summer who would like to take up this challenge? Just asking! 🙂
The treasure hoard (it was a huge amount of money) ended up in Philip le Bel’s (French King Philip the Fair)coffers — at the same time he had DeMolay and fellow officers tortured for weeks and then burned at the stake on a tiny island in the Seine (behind the Louvre). Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas write a pretty good book (and a pretty good look) at the goings-on in their joint book: “Second Messiah”
Robert Lomas may still have a website/blog (mostly about DeMolay, masons, and Freemasons) where interested readers may still be able to obtain copies of the book. What really impressed me was their discussion of the disturbed metabolic activity as a result of torture — and the imprint it can leave on fabric which has been heavily sweated upon.
The discussion is in the appendix.
Actually, the folks at the Vatican, upon reading this book, hired a researcher to look into the matter!
There’s a hint of Syriac in the lower left hand line. Less likely Arabic, but possible.
Nick, every now and then I come across a reference to some Renaissance painter’s using an ‘imaginary’ script to depict a language of the ancients – sybils and so forth.
One is said to be pictured in the hall of/leading to(?) the Sistine chapel. Another is – or was – in the church of the Eremiti, the second by a lesser known Italian painter, Giusto de Menbuoi (or: de Padova) 1376-78, among whose other paintings are a Last Judgement having plainly eastern (Byz/Coptic etc) precedents and close correspondence as a result to the arrangement of the Vms month roundels.
Point is that there’s something puzzling about a Renaissance painter fudging by painting an imaginary script when he could have taken the opportunity to do something frightfully clever like invent a cipher, or record some obscure script which only the very few would recognise.
The sources are few and all in nthn hemisphere – but perhaps if you’re ever stuck for a post-topic – not likely, I know – you might consider this one.
OMG! These glyphs were obviously scratched by Mary Magdalene on her way through to the South of France…There ought to be some supporting documents at Rennes-leChateau???????or wherever.
Ik move 979
Ik move 9Z9
Pakki 717 ?
first 9 to high: Ic move a Z9
last you do
Don
Just remember to breathe.
If it helps cope with the idea of a Semitic script in Europe, just remember that when Alfred the Great came to France he was greeted by the assembly of merchants in three languages: Latin, Hebrew and what the text calls ‘Assyrian’.
*breathe*
oh drawing is battle field, theyb attack village
Nick,
Not sure but I think Akismet might have missed one – recent comment on Rondelay post.
D
Diane: got it, thanks – I thought I’d marked it as spam, but many a slip ‘twixt page and sage. 🙂
Nick,
Check your inbox/comments in your discussion (2009?) of Barbara Frale’s work with the Vatican in regard to the Knights Templars imprisonment/torture/death — and Barbara’s finding a “forgiveness” note from the Pope for their supposed criminal acts. The big thing, however, is that Barbara also was trying to find Papal archive material on the origins of the “Shroud of Turin”. Barbara got thoroughly side-tracked and confused the “Edessan” (painted) icon with the “Shroud of Turin” (which was stained with both blood and stress/torture-related sweat from a dying man.
Please find a copy (from Robert Lomas website?) and find a fascinating read! If you can’t find a copy, perhaps I can send my copy to you via your Compelling Press mailbox, if you have one?
Perhaps one of your fellow cipherfans has a copy to loan?
bdid1dr
Nick & friends,
I am currently reading a fascinating, thick, paperback book about a modern-day horseback traveller following the path of first Crusader “Godfrey of Bouillon”s journey to Jerusalem in 1096 ad :
CRUSADER By Horse to Jerusalem — written by Tim Severin
Tim’s horse was a special breed for carrying Knights in Armor. A fascinating tale, which Tim has also used full-color photographs to illustrate his encounters with “locals” all along the trail. The last photograph is of a full color medieval illustrated manuscript of Duke Godfrey in his siege tower leads the Crusaders as they storm Jerusalem on
July 15, 1099.
Fascinating!
bdid1dr
Bdid1r –
re the shroud and “the disturbed metabolic activity as a result of torture” – would that have something to do with production of lactic acid? A common phenomenon when physical and emotional stress are combined.
It doesn’t have to become ‘Lactic acidosis’ as mentioned in one American film; anyone can experience the same effect given the necessary conditions – their sweat begins to smell like sour milk.
– sorry, I forgot to say what was implied: lactose can be used to make cloth more receptive to, and tenacious of pigment.
Yes! Exactly! The stains on the Shroud were sweat stains left on the cloth by *someone* who was under severe stress and torture. Robert Lomas also discusses the method of torture (being nailed to a heavy wooden door) and whipped with a cat’o’nine tails. Occasionally the torturer would open the door and then slam it back into the frame.
Dr. Lomas, in appendix 3 of his book, thanks Dr. Alan Mills for letting him excerpt from Dr. Mills paper of 1995: ‘Image formation on the Shroud of Turin’, ‘Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, 1995, vol 20 No 4, pp 319-26
Dr. Lomas’ book was riveting, for me anyway, from first page to last pages of the appendices!
Another book, which predates Dr. Lomas’ publication, but tells of a modern day (1989) horseback (Arnennes Heavy Horse) tracing of the First Crusade’s (Godfrey d’ Bouillon) three year’s journey to Jerusalem: Written by Tim Severin, “Crusader – By Horse to Jerusalem
Ennyway, Nick and friends, I just thought you’d like to add some history to your “Jabron” Ile des Veilleures pages. I’m having fun travelling along, even if only by “armchair”!
Nick,
On page 86 of Tim Severin’s book, is mention of the Old Roman Road & “The Devil’s Wall”. There is also discussion of the Ducal armies of Normandy and Flanders.
I found Severin’s book in our public library’s “free” box. If you are at all interested, you may be able to find one cheap on Amazon. Tim’s book was published by Phoenix Press, 5 Upper St. Martin’s Lane, London WC2H 9EA
Another very brief mention of Hainault: Tim Severin discusses Godfrey’s investiture as Duke of Lower Lotharingia which included the areas of Flanders, Luxembourg, Brabant, and Hainault. Ref. pp 18-19.
Still reading Tim’s book (about half-way through)!
Oh my!
I am incredulous that people are still referring to Rennes l’Chateau and all that nonsense which even fooled the librarian/archivists at the French National Library! Puhleeze, people ignore that book by Michael Baigent. (I’m fairly certain that he is mortified by being fooled by those same documents which fooled the National Librarians in Paris. My sympathies lie with Mr. Baigent.)
Philip the Fair was called “Fair” because of his handsomeness. He was, in no way, fair in his dealings with the Templar Knights commanding officers/treasurers.
Sorry, Nick, if I’ve disappointed you and your devoted crew of codiologists. What may be “engraved” on that rock outcrop is a Templar map of their journeys to and from Jerusalem.
Here, in the United States, we have petroglyphs scraped into our various desert canyons, and even on various free-standing rocks in our Mojave Desert. We are able to locate and view some of the petroglyphs through the offerings of our USGS topo maps. BTW: some fabulous petroglyphs can be seen on the canyon walls of Canyon d’ Chelly — just in case you ever get around this part of the world!
bdid1dr
About a different treasure site –
Hope you like this
http://amancalleddada.blogspot.com/2011/08/oak-island-mystery-solved.html
Pingback: Musiknoten-Geheimcode soll zu Nazi-Schatz führen – Klausis Krypto Kolumne
bdid1dr Actually there are absolutly no evidence Philippe IV the fair found any large sums in the various “commanderies and granges” throughout France except small amounts for necessary day to day operations. Nothing shows in his behavior after that fateful day he had an huge increase of gold. He continued to decrease the size of his money to create more. Writing comments like that gives a true searchers bad name.
Nick, Google pointed me to your nice reference to my “L’Ile des Veilleurs” wiki and I wanted to thank you for it. Just the incentive I needed to keep working at it 🙂
You’re wise not to splurge on Weysen’s books – I own all three and they are largely mystical and highly speculative mumbo-jumbo with some traces of actual, though irrelevant, erudition about ancient mythology. Other authors, such as Jangast or Amoros-Buades-Garnier (whom you mention), have delivered a more grounded and honest account of the “L’Ile des Veilleurs” mystery – assuming there is one to begin with (I’m still on the fence after having researched it, interviewed involved parties, and roamed the area for close to 20 years).
One of the more tenacious aspects of the case is this Jabron cipher – whoever carved it in the stone above arm’s reach spent a significant amount of time doing so – making it less likely to be a hoax. I am convinced that Weysen’s translation is nothing but hot air – and in fact he does not provide the key. The IPAAM (http://www.ipaam.fr/) has published an archeological bulletin that studies the cipher but remains inconclusive. I have a hunch as to what the script could be (an XVIIIth century alphabet en vogue in some secret societies of the time), and if that’s confirmed, it would neither be a cipher nor a message from the Templars…
teedeepee: thanks very much for dropping by! Your hunch seems entirely sensible, though I don’t know the specific secret society alphabet you’re referring to.
Do you have a reference to the IPAAM bulletin with this in? That would be a far more ‘grounded’ place to start some kind of discussion than Weysen’s book.
Also: I have bought myself a copy of the recently reissued “L’Île des Veilleurs, Contre-Enquête sur le Mystère du Verdon et le Trésor de l’Ordre du Temple” book. May I briefly ask what you think of that?
Nick, I’m traveling this week but will respond with more details when I return to my notes. I actually purchased the IPAAM bulletin a couple of years ago from the archeology museum in Nice and will be happy to send you scans of the relevant pages (just drop me a note at the email that appears in the moderation details). I will also create a wiki entry about the Jabron carving at some point and add photos of my own (I visited the location 2-3 times).
I’ll also get back to you on the Jabron cipher itself, but in troubled France of the late XVIIIth and early XIXth century, steganography and ciphers were in fashion to obfuscate politically-sensitive communications. There is a freemasonic society whose name comes back often in the “Ile des Veilleurs” context: Les Illumines d’Avignon, led by Dom Pernety. Prior research has linked one of Pernety’s associates, Grabianka, to a grandparent of Georges Marcolla, the central figure of the Ile des Veilleurs. And the Jabron cipher bears some resemblance to a particular flavor of the crypto alphabets used at that time.
To your question about the “Contre-Enquete” book – I think it is a well documented and much-needed skeptical counter to Weysen’s unbridled account of the mystery. It brings some new elements to light (the car accident, etc.) which are helpful for context. But I also suspect it falls short of revealing everything that the three authors know about the story – they are protective of the peace and quiet that so characterize this region, and rightfully so in my view. The mid-90s saw hordes of “French armchair treasure-hunters” waving very real virtual detectors all over the place, and that was after Weysen himself drilled and dug the area for over thirty years.
I know Paul Amoros personally, and can vouch for his deep knowledge of the whole story (as well as his extraordinary kindheartedness). Paul has lived in the Moulin de Soleils (in the heart of l’Ile des Veilleurs) for years and knows the area inside out. Thierry Emmanuel Garnier I’ve exchanged emails with; he used to run a peculiar newsletter called the Lettre de Thot which showed extensive erudition in topics that would probably interest you – incl. ciphers. Richard Buades I haven’t had the pleasure of interacting with.
For yet another balanced account, if a bit candid, of the mystery – look up Jangast’s books. Jangast passed away five years ago but not before releasing five short essays that document his observations from years of roaming the Ile des Veilleurs. His daughter might still be selling these books and I would recommend them only if you have an interest in this mystery beyond the Jabron cipher.
Kind regards,
Nick, I checked and the IPAAM article is on page 261 of their 2005 edition of Tome XLVII. It was written by Daniel BRENTCHALOFF who is a CNRS researcher at the Université de Provence. The article is inconclusive.
As for my “hunch”, I suspect the Jabron carving may be a variant of Johannes Trithemius’ steganography (see http://www.esotericarchives.com/tritheim/stegano.htm for an example).
Nick, apologies for the barrage of comments – but I finally found my notes. If you look up “Système universel et complet de sténographie ou manière abrégée d’écrire” on Google Books, specifically p. 64-65, you’ll find some resemblance between stenographic systems (of which this particular French-revolution era version is just an example) and the Jabron carvings (I can’t link it directly because your moderation system considers it to be spam).
Hello, Nick.
Your post about alfred Weijsen is from 2014 but you might still be interested. We started in 2017 with a research in which we have worked on many Latin manuscripts. As a result of various indications we started in 2019 with the real fieldwork. This has resulted in a lot of disappointment and blisters, but also remarkable tangible discoveries. We have discovered that the Templars who escaped in 1307 have cleverly hidden their possessions.
Here is a video of our very first preliminary research.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgyACPLR9no&t=1091s