In the kitschy and garishly painted church of Rennes-le-Chateau, the devil himself carries the holy water font. However, the villagers remain silent about this strange circumstance, unwilling to answer the stranger's curious questions. The tiny village can easily be circled on foot in half an hour. Above the houses of the villagers rise the gloomy, dilapidated walls of the ancient Chateau d'Hautpoul. Massive ramparts, reinforced by four large towers, surround several nested courtyards, making it a wonderful place for one of the greatest mysteries.

What did Abbè Cauneille, Jean Vie, and Father Cayron, Berenger Sauniere, really know? Perhaps they suspected that somewhere near Rennes-le-Chateau, a vast treasure, which must have been of more than a purely material nature, was hidden in subterranean vaults. Perhaps they possessed vague hints of a complicated cryptic key that described the entrance to the secret rooms. The secret of Rennes-le-Chateau has always attracted individuals and organizations seeking to maximize their personal power.

Today's prominent French politicians, such as the late President Francois Mitterrand and his successor Jacques Chirac, have also visited Rennes-le-Chateau at the beginning of their terms in office. They were joined by German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who, after his SPD's victory in the 1998 federal elections, had nothing more urgent to do than fly to Paris to meet his friend Jacques Chirac before his official appointment as Chancellor. On this occasion, he is also said to have made a brief informal visit to Rennes-le-Chateau.

The story shows that for many centuries, strange things have been happening in the lonely village of Rennes-le-Chateau, the causes of which are to be sought in the mysterious mists of a distant past.