Henry Lincoln - The Shadow of the Templars (1979)

"Bérenger Saunière didn't just redecorate his church. He filled it with esoteric symbolism - statuary and paintings that hint at alchemy, heresy and the occult. Every embellishment in his church at Rennes-le-Château seems like a clue in a great treasure hunt that points - unequivocally - to the countryside around Rennes-le-Chateau itself. No-one knows for sure whether Bérenger Saunière found treasure or not, or what that treasure may have been, but the clues he deliberately planted have created a fascinating and enduring enigma.

"Henry Lincoln was intrigued by the story. He was also amazed to discover, hidden in the reproductions of the parchments in that little paperback book, cryptic clues that were not referred to in the text. These clues led to many new and fascinating lines of inquiry, including links to the Knights Templar and the Cathars. Eventually his researches led to the production of a BBC TV documentary, 'The Lost Treasure of Jerusalem?', in 1972. This was followed two years later by a second film, 'The Priest, the Painter and the Devil' and in 1979 by a third, 'The Shadow of the Templars'."