The Mystery of Rennes-le-Chateau (2006)

The mystery of Rennes-le-Château has inspired treasure hunts, theories about the origins of Christianity and the bestselling novel and film, The Da Vinci Code. The mystery concerns Bérenger Saunière, the 19th century priest of an impoverished hilltop village in southern France who became immensely wealthy after apparently finding ancient parchments hidden in his church. Although the secret of the source of his money died with him, he left behind enigmatic clues that have puzzled researchers ever since. In this programme, Stewart Ferris, author of The Key to The Da Vinci Code, tours Rennes-le-Château searching for evidence to support the leading theories as to the origins of Saunière's fortune, but in doing so he comes across people and clues that lead him to draw fresh and original conclusions of his own.