Priory of Sion Misconceptions

Robert Richardson and Steven Mizrach

Containing References

VIRTUALLY EVERYTHING on the Internet about the Priory of Sion can be
described as pure hokum that cannot be treated seriously. The various accounts
found on all the websites are all similar to each other and are mostly
plagiarisms of the accounts found in The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail [1]
and in The Messianic Legacy [2], and one is led to believe that the whole world
is composed of Flat Earthers who do not want to accept the evidence of the
Hubble Telescope (Plantard was a proven charlatan and forger who lived in a
world of his own [3]). Authors Baigent, Lincoln and Leigh were obviously not
competent 'critics' in the basic sense of what is expected from objective
historical research and merely took all the Pierre Plantard gobbledygook
seriously if Plantard claimed that the Priory of Sion was linked to world
politics, an American contingent, the Kreisau Circle, the Knights of Malta and
the Vatican, with Roberto Calvi, etc, then this was all historical fact and not
the twisted aberrations of some fantasist.
There are a couple of exceptions to this unfortunate situation, and one of these
exceptions contains basic mistakes. Robert Richardson's The Priory of Sion
Hoax, an abridged version of The Unknown Treasure: the Priory of Sion Fraud
and the Spiritual Treasure of Rennes-le-Chteau (Houston, TX: NorthStar,
1998) sets out to debunk all the lies, the myths, and the legends and to finally
prove that everything about the Priory of Sion was a waste of time.
Robert Richardson's well-intended debunking contains allegations that need to
be debunked. Richardson claimed, for example, that the Alpha Galates the
1940s precursor of the Priory of Sion was founded by Georges Monti.
Closer inspection of Richardson's article reveals that he could not have read a
single issue of Vaincre, the wartime journal of the Alpha Galates edited by
Pierre de France-Plantard, because nowhere in Vaincre is it claimed that the
founder of the Order was Georges Monti. What Richardson's article reveals
however, is that he got his information which he seems to have uncritically
accepted - from Grard de Sde's 1988 book, Rennes-le-Chteau Le Dossier,
Les Impostures, Les Phantasmes, Les Hypothses. Grard de Sde in turn
claimed to have got his information from the diaries of mile Hoffet in
1966 that he was not allowed to take photocopies of (here Grard de Sde had
obviously gotten himself into the habit of copying Plantard's methods of
creating fantasies, and de Sde too seems not to have read a single issue of
Vaincre).
Georges Monti is only ever mentioned once in the entire 6 issues of Vaincre
in an article by the conservative Right-Winger Professor Louis Le Fur. Le Fur
mentioned how in a state of distress following the events of 6 February 1934,
he was advised by his friend Le Comte de Moncharville to see Georges Monti
for spiritual and political guidance [4].
Quoting the alleged words of Le Comte de Moncharville to Louis Le Fur: "My
dear friend, this moment was ordained for you, because from now on you wont
be able to continue your efforts alone - your path is now the same as my path,
so write on my behalf to my friend Georges Monti, a man of great ability."
Le Fur went on to describe how he became a member of the Alpha Galates six
months later as a consequence of his meeting with Georges Monti.
Georges Monti died in 1936. The Statutes of the Alpha Galates are dated 1937.
Georges Monti could have lived his entire life without ever knowing about the
existence of the Alpha Galates. The very first issue of Vaincre contains an
article by Jean Falloux introducing the Ideal of the Order, revealing how it had
been recently founded in 1942 by Pierre de France, and who had previously in
1937 been responsible for founding another Order called 'The French Union'
[5]. The article by Louis Le Fur that described his becoming a member of the
Alpha Galates in 1934 appeared in Vaincre issue number 4 the historical
pedigree of the Order obviously became more and more ancient with every
successive issue of the journal (the Order's history also became involved with
Atlantis and the Druids in other later issues of Vaincre).
The events of 6 February 1934 mentioned by Louis Le Fur seem crucial. That
same date was given prominence in another article found in Vaincre, linked
with anti-semitism ("Preparations for the coming of Hitler to France had been
going on since 1934, following the setback of 6 February...") [6].
It was a key date in France in relation to the Right Wing. It referred to the
Stavisky Affair. Riots in Paris were staged on 6 February 1934 by the Right
Wing (and Monarchists) in opposition to the Radical Socialist government
which they accused of having corrupt dealings with a Russian Jew named Serge
Alexandre Stavisky who had been caught dealing in financial fraud in 1933
and then escaped and following his capture and death in January 1934, the
Right had accused the Police of killing Stavisky in order to cover-up the
involvement of government officials in the scandal. A long trial in 1935-1936
acquitted all those accused of being involved in the scandal which placed
French politics in total disrepute [7].
That the Alpha Galates were anti-semitic in nature is specified in Article Seven
of their Statutes: "The Order is rigorously closed to Jews and to any member
who is recognised as belonging to a Judaeo-Masonic order." [8]
The part stating "belonging to a Judeo-Masonic order" is a reference to the
Grand Orient the French Masonic Body that was accused by the Right of
causing the French Revolution and the downfall of the French Monarchy
through the manipulations of Adam Weishaupt (a German Jew) following the
Masonic Congress of Wilhemsbad in 1782, which was responsible for
introducing rationalism into Freemasonry [9]. This created the Tradition of the
Grand Occident in France (the word Occident is frequently found in the pages
of Vaincre) involving Right Wing Roman Catholicism, anti-semitism and
Counter-Revolutionary objectives in general this Tradition manifested itself
into Orders of Chivalric Knighthoods in France by World War Two following
the dissolution of French Freemasonry and the Grand Orient by Marshal Ptain
in 1940.
Dr Steven Mizrach, Professor of Anthropology at a Florida University, a
Fortean, a believer in Flying Saucers and a Jewish American, has several online
articles about the Priory of Sion. His stance concerning it can only be described
as being severely gullible. The various silly claims linking the Priory of Sion
with world politics he is prepared to take quite seriously ("If it really exists, it
may be one of the most powerful secret societies of all time."). Steven Mizrach
never mentions the anti-semitic nature of Pierre Plantard. Mizrach's pattern of
behaviour on the Priory of Sion Mailing List was to take a peek at what was
written in The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail and in The Messianic Legacy
before committing himself to any conclusive comments in his messages about
the Priory of Sion. He seems to accept that the Alpha Galates were founded by
Georges Monti (only on Richardson's say-so) and that Monti was Pladan's
Secretary (which needs verifying).
The Constitution de la Rose-Croix: le Temple et le Graal [10] reveals that
Josphin Pladan was a Conservative Catholic who believed in the True
Presence in the Eucharist and who revered Joseph of Arimathea, Hugues de
Payens and Dante. Pladan certainly aimed at transforming society by
integrating the mystical into it through works of Art, Plays and Music (Robert
Richardson was correct about this point). The activities of Josphin Sar
Pladan complement the Tradition of the Grand Occident nicely.
Steven Mizrach also has a high regard for Maurice Barrs, without ever
mentioning his Nationalism and anti-semitism:
The Nancy Program
http://www.cooper.edu/humanities/core/hss3/m_barres.html
An article in the Historical Dictionary of the Third French Republic 1870-1940
[11] places the name of Maurice Barrs alongside Charles Maurras (Action
Franaise) and Edouard Drumont (owner of the anti-semitic newspaper, La
Libre Parole and author of the best-selling book, La France juive).
Steven Mizrach makes the most basic mistakes about the Priory of Sion,
claiming that it registered its existence in 1956 in Annemasse when in
actual fact this was done at St Julien-en-Genevois:
http://smithpp0.tripod.com/psp/pcc/posd.html
Here lies the historical evidence that the Priory of Sion was founded in 1956
and named after the nearby hill to Saint Julien-en-Genevois called Mont Sion
and had nothing whatever to do with the Sion in Jerusalem the alleged
history of the Priory of Sion dating from the period of the Crusades and
Godfrey de Bouillon as mentioned in the Priory Documents is a historical
fiction concocted by Pierre Plantard during the 1960s and here again, Steven
Mizrach refuses to comment upon the virulent anti-semitism of Godfrey de
Bouillon (and this history was revoked, rejected and replaced by another
Priory of Sion history concocted by Pierre Plantard during the late
1980s/early 1990s).
Steven Mizrach claims that the Priory of Sion is ultimately linked to the 19th
century Parisian artistic circles the Symbolists and the Surrealists [12]
without providing the slightest bit of historical evidence to support that theory:
so where does it originate from? We know that Philippe de Chrisey was
interested in surrealism, and his surrealist ideas found expression in the Priory
Documents that were composed by him but this cannot be used as evidence
that the Priory of Sion has its origins in the Surrealist Art Movements of 19th
century France! And Philippe de Chrisey was not even connected with
Plantard's activities before the early 1960s. So this particular theory by Steven
Mizrach is very easy to debunk.
Pierre Plantard's main thrust lay in the field of genealogies, not in surrealism,
and in his claim to be descended from Dagobert II [13]. Plantard was a
Merovingian Pretender and Philippe de Chrisey assisted Plantard with his
deceptions and because Philippe de Chrisey was a lover of surrealism he
decorated his support for Plantard in surrealist form. That's all it amounts to.
The "parchments" we know were concocted by Philippe de Chrisey at the
request of Pierre Plantard [14] and Philippe de Chrisey was entitled to a
share of the profits from the sales of Grard de Sde's 1967 book L'Or de
Rennes for providing the "parchments". The book contract contains the name of
Philippe de Chrisey [15].
Steven Mizrach still seems to cling to the List of Grand Masters of the Priory of
Sion as given in the Dossiers Secrets d'Henri Lobineau (1967) and that the
Priory had links with the Knights Templar despite the fact that Plantard had
scrapped both these claims during the late 1980s and had replaced them with a
new set of beliefs: a new List of Grand Masters of the Priory of Sion was
produced with it being linked with the Children of St Vincent instead of with
the Knights Templar. [16] Pierre Plantard had also denounced Philippe Toscan,
the author of the Dossiers Secrets as someone who had concocted everything
under the influence of LSD. [17] Steven Mizrach does not seem to be interested
in any of this.
Robert Richardson and Steven Mizrach operated from different perspectives in
relation to the Priory of Sion and both of them made mistakes. Both of them
took for granted that the Alpha Galates were founded by Georges Monti and
linked with Josphin 'Sar' Pladan for which there is no historical evidence
whatsoever. This is why it is always important to go back to the original source
material, and to always put things to the critical test. The evidence contained
within the pages of Vaincre contradicts the claims made by both Robert
Richardson and Steven Mizrach.
Pierre Plantard was later bitten badly for creating his deceptions. During the
1980s he claimed that Roger-Patrice Pelat had been a Grand Master of the
Priory of Sion. [18] This claim was to catch up with him. During the 1990s,
when the French Judge Thierry Jean-Pierre began investigating the financial
scandals involving Roger-Patrice Pelat (linked to President Mitterand) he had
to order the search of Plantard's house as part of those investigations because of
his claims concerning Pelat [19] Plantard was given a severe warning in 1993
and consequently terminated all of his activities relating to his imaginary Priory
of Sion from that point on.
Nor was this the only time that Pierre Plantard was in trouble with French Law.
He was imprisoned several times during the 1950s. [20]

References :

[1] First published in 1982, The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail contained
nothing new about the Priory of Sion that had not been published in France
years beforehand except a new set of alleged 'Statutes of the Priory of Sion
signed by Jean Cocteau'. Its account of Brenger Saunire was debunked in
1974 by Ren Descadeillas in his Mythologie du Trsor de Rennes.
[2] Published in 1986, The Messianic Legacy contained more Priory of Sion
hokum treated seriously, linking it with Guardian Assurance (and capitalising
on accounts first started by Louis Vazart in 1983). It omitted the proper conflict
between Pierre Plantard and Jean-Luc Chaumeil, and various documentation
relating to this conflict found in the 1984 Priory Document L'Affaire Jean-Luc
Chaumeil (Rennes-le-Chteau) by Philippe de Chrisey (BN Code EL 4 Z
Piece 245). The book also omitted the Statutes of the Alpha Galates.
[3] Pierre Plantard's re-written history of Brenger Saunire and Rennes-le-
Chteau as found in the Priory Documents was debunked in Descadeillas'
Mythologie du Trsor de Rennes (1974). The fraudulent nature of the
"parchments" and Plantard's claim to be descended from Dagobert II was
exposed in a 1996 British television documentary, The History of a Mystery,
using primary evidence provided by the French author Jean-Luc Chaumeil.
[4] Article, In The Service of the Alpha by Professor Louis Le Fur, in Vaincre
Nr 4, 21 December 1942, pp3-4.
[5] Article, Our Goal... by Jean Falloux, in Vaincre Nr 1, 21 September 1942,
page 2.
[6] Article, Prologue to 'Here's The Truth' by Auguste Brisieux, in Vaincre Nr
5, 21 January 1943, page 3.
[7] A. Werth, France In Ferment (1935, reprinted 1968).
[8] Statutes of the Alpha Galates (1937) in Vaincre Nr 1, 21 September 1942,
page 4).
[9] Article by Paul Le Cour, The True Freemasonry (in Atlantis Nr 68, 21
November 1938; 'Eglise Maonnerie Tradition' edition) "There had been the
Masonic Congress of Wilhemsbad in 1782, and the malign influence of a
German Jew called Weischaupt, who set in train the rationalist movement in
the lodges and brought about the bloody revolution of 1793" these may not
have been historical facts but they certainly represented the belief-system of the
Tradition of the Grand Occident. Pierre Plantard was an admirer of Paul Le
Cour and based many of his allegations on his ideas.
[10] Pladan's Constitution de la Rose-Croix: le Temple et le Graal is dated
10 March 1893.
[11] Historical Dictionary of the Third French Republic, 1870-1940; Patrick H.
Hutton, Editor-In-Chief (Aldwych Press, London; 1986).
[12] Several French authors Michael Lamy, Patrick Ferte, and Richard
Khaitzine entertain the 'connection' between the Priory of Sion and artistic
societies that Steven Mizrach takes seriously.
[13] Henri Lobineau, Gnalogie des Rois Mrovingiens et Origine des
diverses Familles Franaises et Etrangres de Souche Mrovingienne dAprs
LAbb Pichon, le Docteur Herv et les Parchemins de lAbb Saunire de
Rennes-le-Chteau (Aude). Dated 1956, but its Deposition-date in the
Bibliothque Nationale is 18 January 1964. (*Quoting Mizrach about this:
"One thing is certain about Msr. Plantard: his geneaology as presented in the
'dossiers secretes' appears to be an utter fabrication" without realising that
his statement just dismantled the whole edifice of the Priory of Sion, such being
his naivety.)
[14] The "original parchments" are in the possession of Jean-Luc Chaumeil,
presented on the 1996 television documentary The History of a Mystery with
Plantard's annotation found on one of the "parchments" (written in red ink):
"This is the original document faked by Philippe de Chrisey which Grard de
Sde reproduced in his book, The Gold at Rennes."
[15] In the Private Archives of Jean-Luc Chaumeil.
[16] Article, Some Archives of the Priory of Sion Discovered in Barcelona... by
Ursanne (in Vaincre Nr 3, September 1989, page 22). *See also the article by
Pablo Norberto, The Origin of the Priory of Sion (in Le Cercle: Rennes-le-
Chteau et le Prieur de Sion, 1992, pp49b-49t; edited by Thomas Plantard de
Saint-Clair).
[17] An Interview with Pierre Plantard de Saint-Clair by Noel Pinot (in
Vaincre Nr 1, April 1989, pp 5-6).
[18] Internal Circular of the Priory of Sion dated 8 March 1989, appearing in
Les Cahiers de Rennes-Le-Chteau Nr IX (1989).
[19] Articles in the French Papers Le Figaro, Tribune Desfosss and Minute of
September/October 1993.
[20] Letter dated 1956 from the Mayor of Annemasse to the Sous-Prfet of St-
Julien-en-Genevois. See here.

Paul Smith


Priory of Sion Anti-Semitism
Priory of Sion Legal Battles
Priory of Sion and Jean Cocteau
Guy Patton's Web of Fool's Gold...
Priory of Sion Debunked
Priory of Sion Parchments
Rennes-le-Chteau Debunked - No treasure at Rennes-le-Chteau!
Page Cite:
Alpheus.org 2002
The Priory of Sion Hoax
[online] Available:
http://www.alpheus.org/html/articles/esoteric_history/richardson1.html


The Priory of Sion Hoax
by Robert Richardson
In recent years, a great deal of information has been published in books like Holy
Blood, Holy Grail alleging that the Holy Grail actually refers to a bloodline
descended from Jesus. By this account Jesus and Mary Magdalene produced
offspring, and their descendants gave rise to the Merovingian dynasty, which
ruled France from 476 to 750 A.D. Well intentioned readers and even authors
have been deceived by this story and have mistaken it for the revelation of a
suppressed history. Unfortunately the only thing that has been suppressed is the
truth.


The Grail is not a bloodline. This false story originated in reams of fraudulent
documents created by an extreme right-wing French sect. The group responsible
for these fictions, calling itself the "Priory of Sion" and claiming an ancient
esoteric lineage, has kept its own authentic history carefully hidden. How it
constructed its fraud has not been revealed. It is long past time for the light of
truth to reveal the "Priory of Sion" and the fictional bloodline it has promoted for
what they are really are -- a fraud. The background of this group reveals its
actual motives and sources of information.


The trail to the "Priory of Sion" fraud begins in mid-nineteenth-century France. A
resurgent interest in the occult led to the creation of many esoteric groups.
Members of these groups often belonged to several organizations. Their leaders
often broke away to form competing factions. At the same time, constant turmoil
in the French government drew France into two increasingly hostile camps
jousting for political supremacy. The royalists, composed of the Catholic Church,
the far right, and the supporters of the old system of royalty, vied for power with
the republicans, composed of Freemasons and other supporters of
democratically elected governments. Their struggle affected the lives and views
of every Frenchman. From 1877 to the eve of the Second World War,
Freemasons dominated French government. Their domination earned them bitter
enemies.


In the 1880's, at the height of this political conflict, Joseph Alexandre St. Yves
d'Alveydre, "the supreme Hermeticist of his epoch,"(1) proposed a new idea for
injecting moral values into governing society. He called it "synarchy" and claimed
it was the method used by the Knights Templar to change medieval society. An
elect band of initiates would influence groups representing different aspects of
society. Those groups would influence their spheres and ultimately the entire
social order.


By the turn of the century, the royalist faction came to fear synarchy, whose
influence had spread beyond esoteric groups. By the 1920s, Masonic groups
with distinctly synarchist policies were a reality in France. In the 1930s, even a
leftist group, called the X-Cruise Club, advocated a technocracy with synarchist
ideas.(2)


In this era, the French far right formed its own seemingly esoteric groups. But
they were actually front organizations, pretending to have Masonic and esoteric
affiliations in order to draw support away from the Masons. As anti-semitism
spread across Europe in the 1930s, the French far right denounced Masons and
Jews in the same breath. When fourteen initiatic orders created a federation
called FUDOSI to promote peace and positive ideals, the far right increased its
formation of pseudo-Masonic groups.


During the war, Nazi occupation policy was to arrest leaders of esoteric
organizations, put them in concentration camps, and seize their groups' records
and membership rolls, which were placed in a central depository. In France this
depository was called the Centre d'Action Maconnique, and the French
occupation government at Vichy actively aided the Gestapo in its persecution of
Masonic and esoteric orders. So great was the far right's fear of Masonic
influence that an unknown source even issued a document called the "Chauvin
Report," alleging Masonic involvement in Vichy. (3) While these events were
taking place, the individuals who later formed the "Priory of Sion" were being
gathered into two groups. One group, known to have been in existence as early
as 1934, was called Alpha Galates. Toward the end of the 1930s Alpha Galates
utilized a young man named Pierre Plantard, born March 18, 1920, as its titular
head.


In 1937, at the age of only seventeen, Plantard attempted to found an anti-
Semitic and anti-Masonic group to engage "purifying and renewing France" and
sought official permission to publish a periodical called "The Renewal of France."
(4) This theme Would constantly appear in association with Alpha Galates and
later with the "Priory of Sion."


By 1939, Plantard headed a Catholic youth group holding retreats in Brittany for
teenagers and in 1939 was also noted as addressing a gathering of Catholic
youth. Either Plantard was exceptionally precocious or he was carefully coached
by older people, including a probable sponsor inside the Church who arranged
his engagements. Most likely, he made these connections through ties to the
parent organization of Alpha Galates and through his own youthful activities at
the Parisian parish of St. Louis d'Antin, where he eventually became its sexton.


Under the collaborationist Vichy regime, the group behind Plantard and Alpha
Galates sought influence with the government. On December 16, 1940, Plantard
wrote to Marshal Petain, head of the Vichy regime, denouncing a vast Jewish-
Masonic plot. But he failed to receive any attention beyond routine entries in
police files. In 1941, Plantard applied to found an organization called "French
National Renewal" but was denied official permission in September of that year.
Finally in 1942, Plantard and his superiors again sought public visibility, now
openly using the name Alpha Galates and promoting a publication called Vaincre
("Conquer").


Vaincre, which commenced publication in September 1942, was filled with anti-
Semitic, fawningly pro-Vichy articles and sprinkled with shallow, superficial
esoterica on Celtic traditions and chivalry. Nonetheless Alpha Galates tried to
present this journal as the clearinghouse of a relatively sizable and cohesive
body of young people. After six issues it ceased publication. But it earned
Plantard some recognition. He was periodically observed by the police. As late
as February 1945, the police were still investigating Alpha Galates and its
revolving-door membership of 50 or so, and concluded it had no serious purpose.
But at least one serious seeker, Robert Amadou, who joined Alpha Galates
believing it was a genuine esoteric group, suggests that its focus was political.
Later a Freemason and Martinist, after 40 years Amadou refused to discuss
Alpha Galates, only saying, "For my part, I have never been involved in political
activity, before or since."


In 1947, while a revived FUDOSI met in Paris, Pierre Plantard filed the legal
papers necessary to create another organization, called the Latin Academy. Its
titular head was his own mother. Its ostensible purpose was "historical research."
Its real purpose was to carry on the right-wing program of its predecessor. By the
mid-1950s Plantard began promoting himself in Catholic circles as the
Merovingian pretender to the throne of France. One place where he engaged in
these activities was the Paris church and seminary of St. Sulpice.(7)


In 1956, Plantard and others created a new group named the "Priory of Sion." It
had statutes remarkably similar to those of Alpha Galates and published a
magazine called Circuit. Disinformation which would eventually become
widespread about the Rennes-le-Chateau affair also began to appear, starting in
the magazine La Depeche de Midi, in early 1956.(8)


With the French government in turmoil in 1958, Plantard and his group again
sought political influence, alleging that they controlled the pro-de Gaulle
Committees of Public Safety and utilizing Plantard-written articles in the
newspaper Le Monde to imply a secret association between de Gaulle and
Plantard.(9) Any connection between de Gaulle and the self-styled "eminences
grises" from whom the great of this world seek counsel(10) is unknown to de
Gaulles associates and biographers. But by 1959, new issues of Circuit were
trumpeting this link.


Circuit shifted to a steady diet of superficial Masonic and esoteric subjects, flirting
with mythology, astrology, and chivalry; restructuring French government; the
unique (but unspecified) greatness of Pierre Plantard; and, of course, French
National Renewal. They also pointedly and proudly promoted Vaincre's anti-
Semitic, anti-Masonic back issues. (11)


The book Treasures of the World by Robert Charroux proved a popular success
in France in 1962. Charroux's mixture of mysticism, historical mysteries, and lost
treasures, and public interest in his recounting of the mystery of Gisors, allowed
the "Priory" to launch itself into public view. Claiming to be an inside source, the
"Priory" alleged that the lost underground chapel of St. Anne in Gisors,
Normandy, contained either secret "Priory" records" or the lost treasure of the
Knights Templars. None of these fictions materialized. But they gave the "Priory"
the visibility to successfully promote itself and its false history of France,
descendants of Jesus, and esoteric orders in books and articles.


The real Priory of Sion was an authentic Catholic monastic order. A priory is a
religious house or order. Sion or Zion is the ancient name for Jerusalem, where
the order was headquartered at the monastery of Our Lady of Mt. Zion. It
transferred its headquarters to St. Leonard d'Acre in Palestine and later to Sicily.
In 1617 it ceased to exist and was absorbed into the Jesuit order." It was never a
seething cabal of esoteric and political interests, never had any influence over
the Templars or any esoteric orders, and does not exist today as a legitimate
order, Catholic or otherwise. It has been appropriated like many authentic
histories, esoteric traditions, and orders to create a false history. In deference to
the truth, in the remainder of this article I will refer to the false "Priory" in quotes.


Two examples will quickly illustrate how the false "Priory" has created its fictions.
It has attempted to appropriate Templar history and portray the Templars as
subservient to it and to its fictional bloodline(14) through totally fabricated
documents various authors call "the Priory documents" and by such claims as
one that the familial home of a Templar Grand Master was at Blanchefort, near
Rennes-le-Chateau. Yet Blanchefort was the home of a Cathar noble by that
name, not a Templar Grand Master.(15) Few researchers have bothered to
investigate this or innumerable other outright fictions.


Similarly, Plantard alleges his "suppressed" last name is St. Clair, although no
shred of proof supports this claim.(16) The Sinclairs (originally St. Clair),
hereditary heads of Scottish Rite Freemasonry, were related by marriage to
Templar founder Hugh de Payen. In this way, the "Priory" seeks to imply that it
has an ancient and leading role in Masonry. Appropriating honored names
associated with the esoteric is a tactic used at the time of Alpha Galates by
prewar, anti-Masonic French rightists.(17)


The "Priory" constructed its fiction of the bloodline of Jesus by first creating the
appearance of an authentic esoteric lineage for itself. It accomplished this by
placing fabricated histories in libraries, by falsely associating itself with ancient
esoteric groups, and by usurping the heritage of prewar esoteric groups. The
group the "Priory" has plagiarized most from is the Order of the Rose-Croix of the
Temple and the Grail, founded by Josephin Peladan in 1891.


This group is intimately connected with the real affair of Rennes-le Chateau.
Some of its real and alleged links adopted by the "Priory" include: the work of the
painter Nicolas Poussin; Emma Calve, a singer with numerous occult
connections; claimed associations -with the Holy Vehm, the Knights Templar,
and the survival of a supposedly lost monarchy; association with prominent
cultural figures-, sensationalistic announcements of the discovery of the tomb of
Jesus; the supposition of a higher esoteric order with supreme knowledge; the
Cathars; and other themes appearing in "Priory" inspired stories. Berenger
Sauniere, cure of Rennes-le-Chateau from 1885 to 1917, may have been
associated with the Order of the Rose-Croix of the Temple and the Grail. This
association is the source of the incomplete information which the "Priory of Sion"
has inherited about Rennes-le-Chateau through the "Priory's" real founder,
"Count Israel" Monti.


The actual "Priory" history begins with that obscure man, Georges "Count Israel"
Monti, secretary to Josephin Peladan. Born in Toulouse in 1880 and Jesuit-
educated, Monti considered the priesthood but entered the world of initiatic
orders at age 22 and became a high-level Scottish Rite Mason.(18) By 1906 he
had rapidly advanced in Peladan's order. In 1908 he journeyed to Egypt and in
1909 to Munich on Peladan's behalf.


Following Peladan's death in 1918, Monti appears as one trying desperately to
be at ground zero of occult activities, but always only appearing as a supporting
player with incomplete knowledge. He so craved recognition that he even
affected the title "Count Israel" Monti. He began to tell melodramatic tales of his
involvement in the supposed political activities of esoteric orders, although his
only known political connection was with Leon Daudet, brother of the leader of
the rightist group Action Francaise. And in 1922 Monti excitedly claimed an
affiliation with the controversial magician Aleister Crowley and his occult group,
and said he had been charged by occult groups in England and Germany to
begin a new order.


In 1924, the sorcerer's apprentice sought to become the master. Monti acted to
fulfill these sweeping directives and formed a new group. According to occultist
Anne Osmont, he moved forward with a plan "to destroy all which is dear and
precious to me, to build an illusory society." Together with a man calling himself
Gaston Demengel, Monti, using the name Marcus Vella, formed a group calling
itself "Groupe occidental d'etudes esoteriques," a very small, supposedly esoteric
order. This organization was highly secretive, pretending to be an elite body
dedicated to bringing the world a lasting peace and having a male and female
branch (the Isis lodge). The extent of its membership and activities is unknown.
Its only known document claimed as one of its goals the reconciliation of esoteric
orders with the Catholic Church. This goal, as well as the pretensions of
exclusivity, elitism, and an alleged interest in world peace, is echoed in the
"Priory of Sion."


In October 1936, the Bulletin des ateliers superieurs de la Grande Loge de K
France, the organ of the Masonic Grand Lodge, published a piece denouncing
Monti as a trafficker in information, a fraudulent claimant to nobility, and a
supposed Jesuit agent. On the 21st of the same month, Monti was found dead.
Monti's close associate Dr. Camille Savoire rushed to examine him and claimed
that Monti had been poisoned. Savoire is mentioned in the first issues of Alpha
Galates' magazine Vaincre as one who, along with Plantard, rightist Louis Le Fur,
and a Maurice Moncharville, was responsible for creating Vaincre. In issue No. 4
of Vaincre, Le Fur writes that he was initiated into Alpha Galates by Georges
Monti in 1934. From 1934 until his death, Monti lived at 80 rue du Rocher in
Paris. Perhaps too coincidentally, in 1942-43, Vaincre was printed down the
street at 45 rue du Rocher by a Poirer Murat, whose name would surface after
the war in association with Plantard.


Savoire had a long history of forming alternative esoteric groups. While active in
Masonry, Savoire disagreed with long-established Masonic practices, goals, and
leadership. Like Monti, Savoire was made a high-level Scottish Rite Mason, in
Geneva in 1910. But by 1913, Savoire had formed his own group, the National
Grand Lodge of France. In 1935, after the formation of Alpha Galates, he formed
the interestingly named Grand Priory of the Gauls. He died in 1951. His close
association with Monti and his involvement with alternative orders makes Savoire
a likely candidate for assuming Monti's vacated leadership of Groupe occidental
d'etudes esoteriques.


There are many associations between the prewar activities of Plantard and Monti
and their associates on the one hand and the themes identified with the postwar
"Priory of Sion" on the other. It is highly likely that Alpha Galates was a front for
Monti's group and that Monti's group continued on, subsequently implementing a
plan which would be carried out under the guise of the "Priory of Sion."


The "Priory's" first objective is to position itself in the mind of an unknowing public
as the supreme Western esoteric organization. It dreams of utilizing that
constituency in a synarchy-like fashion to promote its hybrid agenda of right-wing
politics and turn-of-the-century esoteric teachings. It does not represent the real
teachings of any positive esoteric order. It is materialistic, obsessed with attaining
influence, and has fabricated documents without regard for any ethical
considerations. Its program is to manipulate people through lies in order to
promote itself.


The so-called bloodline created by the "Priory" does not exist. There is no
descent from Jesus through the Merovingians or other families; in fact there is no
genuine evidence of any bloodline descended from Christ. The survival of the
Merovingian bloodline as promulgated in the "Priory" documents is based on the
alleged marriage of Giselle de Razes to the seventh-century Merovingian King
Dagobert Il. Giselle de Razes never existed. Plantard and his associates
fabricated her.


The fraudulent history of the "Priory of Sion" and its false bloodline was created
by utilizing the vast amount of esoteric documents publicly available in French
libraries and by depositing its own documents among them. For example,
Madan's papers were deposited in the Bibliotheque de l'Arsenal, and St.-Yves'
papers were deposited in the Sorbonne in 1938 by the son of the well-known
French occultist Papus, along with many of Papus' own papers.(19) An
investigation by researcher Paul Smith has shown that some of the documents
indicating a supposed bloodline and a "Priory" -inspired poem called Le serpent
rouge were printed on the same press. During the war it is probable that the
"Priory" also had access to the seized records of Masonic and esoteric societies,
some quite old, which were deposited in the occupation-controlled Centre
d'Action Maconnique. This depository was headed by Henri Coston, a right-wing,
anti-Semitic journalist and collaborator, who was quoted on the first page of
Vaincre No. 1.


Similarly, to create credibility with researchers, the "Priory" attached Plantard's
family tree to an authentic genealogy originally appearing in a special edition of
the historical journal Les cahiers de l'histoire No. 1 (1960), which was deposited
in libraries containing other fabricated "Priory" documents.(20)


The concept of the phony bloodline originated in two places. In the 1930s the
writings and speeches of the Italian esotericist Julius Evola received prominence
in many philosophical, esoteric, and right-wing political circles, and were admired
by Nazi leaders like Heinrich Himmler. Many "Priory" themes originated in Evola's
ideas. To Evola's thinking, in the old system of world order, the king was believed
to be a sacred being. Divine virtues and powers descended on him. Traditional
institutions were based on sacred legacies. The state itself had a transcendent
meaning. Evola also referred to a special quality of the blood which he alleged
once existed in one royal house. Above all, he admired Godfrey of Bouillon, first
Latin ruler of Palestine after the First Crusade, as the ideal ruler, the lux
monarchorum ("light of monarchs").(21) Man could only be restored, Evola wrote,
by the government of a spiritual elite, those wearing the belt or cord of initiates
that marks the "carriers of some invisible influence."(22) All these ideas permeate
"Priory" thought; "the Priory documents" even require members to have a cord at
initiation.


To create the concept of the bloodline, Evola's ideas were melded with one other
source, the doctoral dissertation of Walter Johannes Stein, originally published in
Germany in 1928.(23) In this work, called The Ninth Century: World History in the
Light of the Holy Grail, Stein, a close associate of Rudolf Steiner, detailed what
he felt was the historical and symbolic background behind the Grail sagas.


An appendix to The Ninth Century is a genealogical chart Stein calls the "Grail
bloodline." One side extends into the royal house of France. Another extends
down to Godfrey of Bouillon. Part of Stein's thesis is that events in the lives of
actual historical figures served as models for the characters and for some events
in the Grail stories. According to Stein, the people associated with this family tree
were acknowledged in their time as being of a high spiritual nature and having
paranormal capacities. Yet he also stresses that these capacities had vanished
from this family hundreds of years ago.


An undisciplined reader of Stein could easily confuse the historical persons with
symbols. Stein's intent is actually to illustrate how the positive spiritual forces
represented by the Holy Grail are sometimes manifested in the lives and actions
of people and how those actions can affect society and events. He did not in any
way state or imply that the Holy Grail was, or that it represented, a bloodline. He
knew very well that is not the case.


These are the sources which, when twisted and distorted, were used to fabricate
the fiction that a special bloodline supported by an age-old esoteric society lay
behind most of the key political events and mysteries of French history and even
the Holy Grail itself.


Today the "Priory" is intermittently active. Periodically, people claiming to be its
representatives still attempt to influence writers and researchers by promoting in
private correspondence the "Priory's" fabricated versions of history. Many well-
intentioned people have been deceived by these fabrications. Despite the
disillusionment which many may now feel, it is important to know there are
groups and individuals in the world who are genuinely spiritual, highly developed,
and acting to benefit mankind. They have existed in the past; they exist today;
they will exist in the future, as long as even only a handful of people have the
courage to reach inside themselves and live their lives in accordance with a
genuine spirituality. However, to preserve the truth, it is incumbent on each of us
to speak out on its behalf to counterbalance the false and materialistic
sensationalism of the world's "Priories of Sion." By following such a path of
integrity, each of us can work to maintain true spirituality, both within ourselves
and in the world. Only then will be born a better day for humanity. This is in fact
one of the lessons learned on the quest of the great spiritual reality which is the
genuine Holy Grail.


NOTES


1. Joscelyn Godwin, "The Creation of a Universal System: St.-Yves d'Alveydre
and his Archaeometer," in Alexandria 1 (1991), p. 230.

2. Peter Partner, The Murdered Magicians: The Templars and Their Myth (New
York: Oxford University Press. 1982), pp. 172-176.

3. Ibid. p. 173.

4. For information on Plantard's background and work at this time, see "The
Message of a Sacred Enigma, Tales, Legends and Myths of Rennes-le
Chateau," an extract from "The Table of Isis, Part 2, The Templars of the
Apocalypse," by Jean-Luc Chaumeil, translated by Paul Smith in The Rennes
Observer 15 (June 1997), esp. pp. 19-20.

5. Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln, The Messianic Legacy
(New York: Henry Holt, 1986), p. 35 1. Emphasis added.

6. Chaumeil, p. 20.

7. See Robert Richardson. "A Merovingian Promotion at St. Sulpice," ill The
Rennes Observer 16 (Sept. 1997), pp. 36-37.

8. Paul Smith. "A Rennes-le-Chateau Chronology," Le Reflet (Engish language
version, Autumn 1994), pp. 10-13.

9. Baigent et al., Messianic Legacy, pp. 288-95.

10. Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln, Holy Blood, Holy Grail
(New York: Delacorte Press, 1982), p. 196. quoting an article in the "Priory"
publication Circuit.

11. Baigent et al., Messianic Legacy, pp. 296-99, notes many similarities
between the "Priory" and Alpha Galates.

12. Baigent et al., Holy Blood, Holy Grail, p. 138.

13. Gerard de Sede, Rennes-le-Chateau: Le dossier, les impostures, les
phanstasmes, les hypotheses (Paris: Robert Lafont, 1988), p. 127.

14. Holy Blood, Holy Grail, pp. 36-67, is a good example of this nonsense.

15. See Noel Currer-Briggs, The Shroud and the Grail (New York: St. Martin's
Press, 1978), p. 78.

16. Baigent et al., Messianic Legacy, pp. 259-60. Also see Holy Blood, Holy
Grail, p. 439, note 21.

17. See Partner, p. 174, for an example.

18. De Sede, pp. 225-36.

19. Godwin, p. 230.

20. Chaumeil, p. 20.

21. Julius Evola. Revolt against the Modern World, trans. Guido Stucco
(Rochester, Vt.: Inner Traditions, 1994); foreword by H.T. Hansen, pp. viii, 15, 22,
41, 298, 300.

22. Julius Evola, The Mystery of the Grail: Initiation and Magic in the Quest for
the Spirit, trans. Guido Stucco (Rochester, Vt.: Inner Traditions, 1996), p. 134.

23. Walter Johannes Stein, The Ninth Century: World History in the Light of the
Holy Grail (London: Temple Lodge Press, 1991).


SOURCES

(c) 2000 by Robert Richardson. All rights reserved. Originally published in Gnosis
(No. 51, Spring 1999), pp. 49-55.

Robert Richardson is the author of The Unknown Treasure: The Priory of Sion
Fraud and the Spiritual Treasure of Rennes-le-Chteau (Houston, TX: NorthStar,
1998), available from Pratum Book Co., PO Box 985, Healdsburg, California
95448, USA. knowledge@pratum.com.

Article is reproduced on Alpheus with the kind permission of the author and
publisher.

Copyright Govert W. Schuller, 2002
Priory of Sion Debunked
http://www.anzwers.org/free/posdebunking/

"All ignorance is dangerous, and most errors must be dearly paid. And good
luck must he have that carries unchastised an error in his head unto his death."
Arthur Schopenhauer.

The original Priory of Sion was founded in 1956 as a social group of friends by
two people Andr Bonhomme and Pierre Plantard. The outline of the story
can be found here.
Andr Bonhomme definitely existed I have spoken to him myself as have
many other researchers and he has constantly confirmed that the original
Priory of Sion had nothing to do with Brenger Saunire, Rennes-le-Chteau,
politics or secret societes the story goes that one day, when someone
commented on the bad state of the lodgings it was decided to form a society
devoted to the cause of Low-Cost Housing: and so the Priory of Sion was
created! It was actually named after the hill of Mont Sion located outside the
town of St-Julien-en-Genevoise. They produced an amateur journal called
"Circuit" devoted to the cause of Low-Cost Housing, that simply comprised of
A4 pages stapled together, and containing a crude text that was both stencilled
and printed. The first issue can be found here.
Pierre Plantard had a shadowy background he was a supporter of the Vichy
regime in Wartime France and his past involved anti-semitic, right-wing
politics within an esoteric framework in 1942 he founded an Order of
Knighthood called the Alpha Galates, and was sentenced to four months in
Fresnes prison for not registering it with the authorities (Secret Service Report,
dated 13 February 1945).
This was not the only time that Pierre Plantard served time in prison - he was
also imprisoned during the 1950s (a letter by the Mayor of Annemasse to the
Sub-Prefect of St Julien-en-Genevois dated 1956 notes that Plantard received a
prison sentence in 1953 over allegations relating to fraud and embezzlement.
See here).
During the mid-1980s a conflict erupted between Pierre Plantard and a French
researcher, Jean-Luc Chaumeil, who conducted some investigations on Pierre
Plantard that yielded the above-mentioned information. By the 1980s Plantard
had acquired quite a name for himself by reviving the Priory of Sion from 1962
onwards, and creating a mystique involving the legends of Gisors, Brenger
Saunire and Rennes-le-Chteau, secret societies, his claim to be from a French
Line of Kings, the keeper of secrets and possessor of secret parchments he
also claimed that the Priory of Sion was founded during the Crusades by
Godfrey de Bouillon, was linked with the Knights Templar, and produced a
List of Grand Masters spanning centuries. All of this was bogus and fraudulent
and Jean-Luc Chaumeil had all the evidence to prove it.
That the Priory of Sion did not exist before 1956 can easily be proved. Its 1956
Registration Documents and 1956 Statutes, deposited in the Police Station at St
Julien-en-Genevois, can be found here.
The conflict involving Jean-Luc Chaumeil who found out that Plantard was
imprisoned over allegations relating to fraud, embezzlement, and child
corruption caused Plantard to resign from his confidence-trickery activities
but he made a comeback by 1989 with a revised and amended version of the
Priory of Sion. Pierre Plantard produced a new List of Grand Masters that
included the name of Roger-Patrice Pelat.
Pierre Plantards use of Pelats name in his new 1989 version of the Priory of
Sion was to bring about his ultimate downfall when later in 1993 Judge
Thierry Jean-Pierre investigated the financial scandal involving Roger-Patrice
Pelat he ordered the search of Plantards house, and also interrogated Plantard
over the whole matter. This produced a hoard of "Priory of Sion documents"
and the claim that he was the "true King of France". This resulted in Plantard
being given a severe warning and regarded as a harmless crank. When Judge
Thierry Jean-Pierre ordered Plantard to Swear on Oath that Pelat was involved
with the Priory of Sion, Plantard admitted that he had made the whole thing up.
Pierre Plantard was never to involve himself with his Priory of Sion activities
again following this episode.
The origin of Plantards 1960s claim to be descended from the Merovingian
Kings of France was investigated during the mid-1980s and has been traced to
an article by Louis Saurel which appeared in the 1960 French magazine Les
Cahiers de lHistoire Number 1, Les Rois et Les Gouvernements de la
France: des origins nos jours. This article creates the impression that
Dagobert II (who Plantard claimed to be descended from) was the last
Merovingian King before the advent of the "Mayors of the Palace" took over
(the forerunners to the later Carolingian Kings of France).
Saurels article was copied virtually word-for-word in a 1965 Priory Document
ascribed to Anne-La Hisler Rois et Gouvernants de la France: Les Dynasties
depuis lorigine, and the whole genealogical framework found in other
documents by a Henri Lobineau which contained the added fictitious names
of Plantards "ancestors" were all inspired this 1960 article by Louis Saurel.
Pierre Plantards version of the Priory of Sion that existed between the years
1962-1993 had nothing at all to do with the original 1956 Priory of Sion
when Andr Bonhomme, the co-founder of the original 1956 Priory of Sion
discovered Plantards later activities and how the name of the group was used
for different reasons he tendered his official resignation to the Police Station at
St Julien-en-Genevois in 1973. Andr Bonhommes letter of resignation can be
found here.
The whole history of the Priory of Sion is one of deception and confidence
trickery it was a fake society that never existed simply the product of
someone by the name of Pierre Plantard who had spent time in prison during
the 1950s over breaking French Law relating to fraud and embezzlement.


E-group:
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Priory of Sion Misconceptions Robert Richardson and Steven Mizrach
Rennes-le-Chteau Debunked - No treasure at Rennes-le-Chteau!