The small village of Rennes-le-Chateau has been the center of an enigma ever since a century ago a local village priest, Berenger Sauniere, spent millions of dollars on decorating the church and surrounding buildings. For decades – despite claims to the contrary by some authors – no-one has been able to explain where Sauniere got the money to pay for the extravagant building works, which have attracted millions of visitors to this small hilltop village – or why he constructed them!

The history of the village, Sauniere's access to money and the trial engineered by his bishop to find out the secret of his wealth, his veneration of Mary Magdalene, his links with esoteric traditions, the construction of his "Great Work" and the creation of a Kabbalistic Tree of Life are but some of the secrets of the village and the man that are explained. Most importantly, Philip Coppens takes us to each of the sites and aspects of the village, some of which are seldom seen or visited by the casual tourist.

"The Cryptogram of Rennes-le-Chateau" is a valuable guidebook for those visitors who want to experience the magic of the site themselves, whether it is from the comfort of their home or in the village itself.