1621

Guercino paints first version of Et In Arcadia Ego

6

Aug

1623

pontificate Urban VIII

1627

Nicolas Poussin paints his first version of les Bergers d’Arcadie

1639

Nicolas Poussin paints his second version of les Bergers d’Arcadie

14

May

1643

death of Louis XIII, reign of Louis XIV, le Roi Soleil

15

Sep

1644

pontificate Innocent X

23

Nov

1644

Registering of the testament of Francois Pierre d’Hautpoul by notaire Captier of Esperaza.

1645

a shepherd called Ignace Paris falls in a cave in search of a sheep and comes out with a large number of gold coins in his hat. He tells people he has discovered a room full of gold but when he refuses to tell where he is stoned to death on the charge of theft.

1646

baron d’Hautpoul has the church of Rennes-le-Château restored, supported by the bishop of Carcassonne: Nicolas Pavillon

1651

Bishop of Carcassonne, Nicolas Pavillon, gives a diamond ‘the size of an egg’ to the city of Toulouse for fighting the plague.

1653

discovery of the tomb of Childeric I in the Church of Saint Brice in Tournai. The treasure buried with him consists of a richly ornamented sword, a torse-like bracelet, jewels of gold and cloisonné enamel with garnets, gold coins, a gold bull’s head and a ring with the inscription CHILDERICI REGIS (’of Childeric the king’), which identifies the tomb. Most special find are 300 golden bees, that Napoleon I later uses to decorate his mantle for the coronation as Emperor of the French

7

Apr

1655

pontificate Alexander VII

1659

François Charles Fouquet is nominated bishop of Narbonne  (brother of Nicolas Fouqet, Treasurer under Louis XIV)

19

nov

1665

death of Nicolas Poussin

20

Jun

1667

pontificate Clement IX

29

Apr

1670

pontificate Clement X

1670

Mgr. François Charles Fouquet has a St. Antoine tableau by David Teniers the Younger overpainted with a St. Augustine by Ambroise Frédeau

1673

death of Mgr. François Charles Fouquet, Louis XIV starts 4 years of trials to remove the Jansenist bishop Nicolas Pavillon from the diocese of Alet but doesn’t succeed

21

Sep

1676

pontificate Innocent XI

1685

Louis XIV buys the original of the second version of Poussin’s Les Bergers d’Arcadie from C.A. Herault. He puts it on display in his private quarters

5

Oct

1689

pontificate Alexander VIII, birth of François d’Hautpoul Rennes, marquis de Blanchefort

12

Jul

1691

pontificate Innocent XII

1694

entry in the parish registry of the burial of a high ranking individual in the church of Rennes-le-Château, registered by Abbé Vernat 

18th Century

23

Nov

1700

pontificate Clement XI

1705

death of Dame Anne Delsol, aged 75, (whose husband Marc Antoine Dupuy was the brother in law of Henry d’Hautpoul) buried in the church of Rennes-le-Château "au tombeau des seigneurs" (parish registry 1694-1726) The tombeau, according to the parish register is located "dans l’eglise de ce lieu au tombeau des Seigneurs qui est au pres du Balustre" (the same wooden pillar in which a glass tube with parchment was found in July 1887)

1715

death of Louis XIV, reign of Louis XV, le Bien Aimé

8

May

1721

pontificate Innocent XIII

1724

death of messire Henry du Venret buried in the church of Rennes-le-Château "au tombeau des seigneurs" (parish registry 1694-1726)

1724

Abbé Bernard becomes curé of Rennes-le-Château

29

May

1724

pontificate Benedict XIII

12

Jul

1730

pontificate Clement XII

1732

1736

Abbé Jean Bigou becomes curé of Rennes-le-Château

17

Aug

1740

pontificate Benedict XIV

1748

Admiral George Baron Anson commissions the Shepherd’s Monument at Shugnborough Hall, UK

 15

 May

1753

sudden death of François d’Hautpoul-Rennes, seigneur of Rennes-le-Château, Marquis de Blanchefort in the house of Grégoire de Fourn. He is buried in the Cathédrale St-Martin in Limoux, his heart is buried in Notre Dame de Marceille. Both graves have disappeared.

6

Jul

1758

pontificate Clement XIII

19

May

1769

pontificate Clement XIV

10

May

1774

death of Louis XV, reign of Louis XVI

1774

Abbé Antoine Bigou becomes curé of Rennes-le-Château

15

Feb

1775

pontificate Pius VI

1776

death of Abbé Jean Bigou in Rennes-le-Château

17

Jan

1781

death of Marie de Nègre d’Ables, Dame d’Hautpoul, Marquise Blanchefort. She is buried in the cemetery of Rennes-le-Château.

1791

Abbé Jean Antoine Camp becomes curé of Rennes-le-Château

31

Jul

1791

start of the French Revolution

10

Aug

1792

fall of Louis XVI

Sep

1792

clandestine emigration of Antoine Bigou and Jean-Pierre Cauneille (priest of Rennes-les-Bains) to Spain following the last bishop of Alet-les-Bains, Charles de la Cropte de Chanterac

21

Jan

1793

execution of Louis XVI

21

Mar

1794

death of Abbé Antoine Bigou in exile, allegedly in Spain

5

Apr

1794

execution of Danton

28

Jul

1794

execution of Robespierre

10

Nov

1799

end of the First Republic, Napoleon Bonaparte declares himself First Consul

19th Century

17

Jan

1800

oppression of royalist revolt in the Vendee

14

Mar

1800

pontificate Pius VII

1803

Abbé Marsan becomes curé of Rennes-le-Château

1804

Napoleon Bonaparte declares himself Emperor of the French people

1805

Abbé Rouger becomes curé of Rennes-le-Château

1812

tragic end of Napoleon I’s Russian campaign

1814

abdication of Napoleon I, exile to Elba

20

Mar

1815

Napoleon I returns to power, start of the One Hundred Days

18

Jun

1815

defeat of Napoleon I at Waterloo, second abdication and exile to St Helena

1815

reign of Louis XVIII

1820

Abbé Sabarthes becomes curé of Rennes-le-Château

1822

Louis de Coma is born in Foix

1823

Abbé Sadourny becomes curé of Rennes-le-Château

28

Sep

1823

pontificate Leo XII

1824

death of Louis XVIII, reign of Charles X

31

Mar

1829

pontificate Pius VIII

19

Jul

1830

the Virgin Mary appears to Catherine Labouré in the Rue du Bac in Paris

29

Jul

1830

abdication of Charles X, reign of Louis Philippe de Bourbon, le Roi Citoyen (the citizen king)

2

Feb

1831

pontificate Gregory XVI

1832

French historian Jean Pierre Jacques Auguste de Labouisse-Rochefort publishes ‘Voyages à Rennes-les-Bains’, written in 1803. Labouisse-Rochefort compares the landscape of Rennes-les-Bains with Arcadia 

1832

Jean Pierre Jacques Auguste de Labouisse-Rochefort becomes accepted as a member of the illustrious Arcadian Academy of Rome

1832

Abbé Pagès becomes curé of Rennes-le-Château

1834

Abbé Blanc becomes curé of Rennes-le-Château

1836

Abbé Pons becomes curé of Rennes-le-Château

16

Nov

1837

birth of Jean-Jacques Henri Boudet in Quillan

1840

birth of Edmond Boudet, brother of Henri Boudet

16

Jun

1846

pontificate Pius IX

Sep

1846

the Virgin Mary appears to Mélanie Calvet in La Salette

24

Feb

1848

2nd revolution in Paris, Louis Philippe abdicates and the Second Republic is proclaimed

10

Dec

1848

Louis Napoleon elected President de la République

1851

Coup d’Etat of Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte (Napoleon III), proclamation of the Second Empire

11

Apr

1852

Berenger Saunière is born in Montazels as the first of 7 children of the Major

1855

Alfred Saunière is born in Montazels as the second of 7 children of the Major

1856

Louis de Coma starts construction of the Carol Estate, a copy of Getshemane funded with money from the Comte de Chambord (4.000 Fr)

Feb

the Virgin Mary appears to Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes

1860

a piece of gold weighing over 50 kilo’s is found near Bezu

25

Dec

1861

Henri Boudet is ordained a priest

1

Jan

1862

Henri Boudet becomes the cure of Durban

16

Jun

1862

Henri Boudet becomes the cure of Caunes (Minervois)

1

Nov

1866

Henri Boudet becomes the cure of Frestes

12

Aug

1868

birth of Marie Dénarnaud

21

May

1870

Napoleon III capitulates 

31

Aug

1870

French Republic is proclaimed, start of the Third Republic

17

Feb

1871

Thiers President de la République

1

Jul

1872

death of Jean Vié curé of Rennes-les-Bains

1872

Henri Boudet becomes curé of Rennes-les-Bains

1873

Thiers resigns, Maréchal de Mac-Mahon President de la République after a failed attempt to restore the monarchy by Henry V, Comte de Chambord

1873

start of the great depression

Feb

1876

20

Feb

1878

pontificate Leo XIII

1879

Abbé Cézac becomes curé of Rennes-le-Château, resignation of Mac-Mahon, July Grévy President de la République

16

Jul

1879

Saunière becomes chaplain of Alet-les-Bains

1880

discovery of a Neolithic graveyard, proving men’s presence in the area for at least 3.000 years

1880

Henri Boudet finishes his book La Vraie Langue Celtique et le Cromlech de Rennes-les-Bains

1881

Mgr. Billard becomes Bishop of Carcassonne

1881

Abbé Mocquin becomes curé of Rennes-le-Château

16

Jun

1882

Saunière becomes curé of Le Clat

8

Feb

1884

Papal Encyclical ‘Nobilissima Gallorum Gens’ (‘To the Most Noble French Nation’, On the Religious Question in France), addressed to the Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops of France, mentioning that France was alienating itself from its past Catholic Traditions and that it had to do all it could to restore those values

1884

Abbé Croc becomes curé of Rennes-le-Château

1855

Louis de Coma completes construction of the Carol Estate or Monastère de Carol

1

Jun

1885

Saunière becomes curé of Rennes-le-Château and writes: La croix du milieu existe, mais il n’y a pas d’allées "

4

Oct

1885

Saunière preaches against the Republicans. He supposedly asked his parishioners to vote for the ‘Union of the Right’, dedicated to the reversal of the anticlerical legislations of the Republican Government and towards the restoration of the French Monarchy (this Party was comprised of a coalition of the Conservatives, the Bonapartists and the Monarchists) with the Monarchists being the most successful part of the coalition during the 1885 elections winning the most Seats

30

Oct

1885

Mgr Billard receives a complaint from René Goblet, the Minister of Religion relating to the ‘reprehensible behaviour’ of four clerics during the electoral period of 1885 and asking for their transfers

15

Nov

1885

Mgr Billard responds by stating that Saunière has no intention of attacking the Government, but has the right as the Defender of Religion to read an article from ‘La Semaine Religieuse de Carcassonne’, to give advice to the voters of his parish in the presence of anti-Christian anti-Concordat programmes of several candidates of the deputation

2

Dec

1885

Saunière is suspended because of his anti-republican speech, René Goblet, the Minister of Religion, writes to Mgr Billard stating that he has suspended four priests in the Rennes-le-Château region: B. Saunière, curate at Rennes-le-Château; Tailhan, curate at Roullens; Jean, curate at Bourriège and Delmas, vicar at Alet 

2