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The interviews of the Site :
| Antoine & Claire Captier |
Mai 2000 |
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 I am anxious briskly to thank Mrs. and Mr. Captier for having wanted to really answer the few questions that I asked them.
For those that, maybe, don't know it, Mrs. and Mr. Captier are part of the rare people that knew Marie Dénarnaud. Mrs. Captier, parceque she is the girl of Noël Corbu, who bought in life the domain in Marie Denarnaud, and Antoine Captier because he was a child of the country who frequently" met "Marie miss.
I am very happy to be able to bring to the Site a first-class testimony, that, you will see it, recadre several things.
I hope that you will have as much pleasure to read these few lines that me to them to have written
I remind you that Claire and Antoine Captier are the authors of the work: "The inheritance of abbot Saunière" Bélisane edition
Jean-Patrick Pourtal : First of all I am anxious to thank you for having accepted to answer some relative questions to this passionate history of Rennes-Le-Château. You are, Mr. Captier, a child of Rennes-Le-Château I believe ?
Antoine Captier : I am born in Rennes the Castle in 1937 where my family is implanted since the XVII° siécle. I spent all my small childhood there.
After my studies and my military draft, I came to install me in the house of my parents that had left Rennes.
JPP : If my memories are good, Mrs. Captier, it is in 1946 that Marie Dénarnaud, made of your father, Noël Corbu, her heir Universel under the aegis of a life, can say us how was Marie Denarnaud at the time of your arrival in the domain ?
Claire Captier : When we came to live to the Béthanie villa, Miss Marie, as we called him, was already aged of sixty ten eight years. She was of small size, rather slim and was held a little arched. In spite of her big age she/it had remained very alert and perfectly lucid.
JPP : In time that child of the village, Mr. Captier, you knew Marie Dénarnaud therefore always. How the child that you were saw it him ?
Antoine Captier : Marie Dénarnaud welcomed the young children of the village gladly at home; him n' was not rare that she offers us sweets, the stamps or the post cards to give us pleasure. However, can be because I was especially apprehensive, It happened to me to run away me lwhen she called me.
JPP : Mrs. Captier, Marie Denarnaud shared your life until her death. How was her integrated in the domestic life ?
Claire Captier : Miss Marie was very distrustful because a lot of people had abused her hospitality or had stolen him some objects. She continued to live alone at the presbytery so much as her state of health allowed it to him. Little by little she got used to us and took the habit to come to chat in the evening one moment with us. She was very happy to have by her a family with two young children.
JPP : Mr. Captier, at the time of your childhood Marie Dénarnaud spoke her of her life with Bérenger Saunière ?
Antoine Captier : Me n' have remember to have heard Marie Dénarnaud to speak of her life with abbot Saunière.
JPP : This question addresses to one and the other. It has often been returned that Marie Dénarnaud surrendered two times per day on the tomb of Bérenger Saunière, how explain yourselves an as big fidelity post mortem ?
Claire et Antoine Captier : Miss Marie surrendered daily, some either the time, on the abbot's tomb that she called" her dear extinct." Very devout, she continued all her life to venerate the priest's memory that she/it had served faithfully during about thirty years.
JPP : Still about Marie Dénarnaud, can illuminate yourselves us on the following point: To her arrival, Marie Dénarnaud was only eighteen years old. Is it a very young age to be good of the vicar, how do explain yourselves it? On the other hand, it is said that her family shared the ife of Bérenger Saunière, what could explain the fact that the abbot and Marie Dénarnaud share the same roof. Yet, close to the church, a house in ruin exists, I heard to say always that it was the one of Marie's parents, whereas it is the good version ?
Antoine Captier : When abbot Saunière took possession of the cure of Rennes the Castle in I885, the presbytery being inhabitable, he took pension, as his predecessor, at the family Dénarnaud who lived since 1878 the house today demolished that is to the angle of the abbot's garden in front of the Béthanie villa. It is Marie's mother, Alexandrine who was then the priest's regular maid going against the parish. It is only toward 1891 that Melle Marie, who worked until then in the factory of Hats of Espéraza with her brother and her father, began to assist her mother in her function by the abbot. It is also in this period that the family Dénarnaud got settled with the abbot in the presbytery that was restored definitely in I897.
JPP : I suppose, Mrs. Captier, that you often have the to speak with Marie Dénarnaud during your childhood and your youth. In what terms evoked she passes it in the time of Bérenger Saunière ?
Claire Captier : He frequently happened to me to chat with Melle Marie but when I asked him some questions concerning abbot Saunière, she deviated the conversation cleverly on another topic. What I learned on her past of the abbot Saunière time that is through her rough drafts of letters that I consulted after her death.
JPP : Mr. Captier, a legend returns us the fact that Marie Dénarnaud would have, to the liberation, burnt many banknotes because of them bets out circulation. Can confirm us to you or invalidate this legend ?
Antoine Captier : The legend that returns that Marie Dénarnaud would have burnt some banknotes to the Liberation would be inspired of the fact, very real this one, that she put fire effectively a short time to many papers in the park after the abbot's death in order to subtract them to the curiosity of the numerous visitors, notably of the priests, who flowed to that moment. My father, then aged of 18 years that helped Marie Dénarnaud in this task had specified to me that some sheaves appeared among others among these papers of good of loans Russian. From where confusion, volunteer probably of some authors, with this legend on the destruction of numerous banknotes.... because of them bets out circulation.
JPP : Mrs. Captier, let's remain in the legend and let's tempt to solve it. it is true that Marie Denarnaud had promised your Father, Noël Corbu, that she would reveal him a secret that would make of him a powerful man at the time of her death ?
Claire Captier : In the beginning of our installation in the domain, my father had set up an industrial business in Morocco. For political reasons, he knew financial difficulties. Miss Marie, the anxious seer, confided to him repeatedly :
" You tops not so many worries, my good Noël, .... one day I will tell you a secret that will make of you a rich man... very rich "
It is literally the words that she pronounced. She never said "powerful"
JPP : Are not you astonished by the "powerful" term rather than" rich" ?
Claire Captier : It appears obvious that the "powerful" term has been added deliberately by some. Miss Marie, who was instructed little, would not have used this word probably that in its significance of strength and no to "can".
JPP : Mrs. Captier, a fact always surprised me, before the death of Marie Dénarnaud, no one had nearly heard ever to speak of Rennes-Le-Château and its astonishing vicar. After her death, it is the rush! Think yourselves that it is merely of the to the fact that your Father, created his strip recorded that he distributed in his restaurant ?
Claire Captier : It is certain that my father played a role "release" of this affair while making it know to the general public by the press dice 1955, then the television in 1961. But these are the books to big pull that made universally this history famous.
However some people, that we met thereafter, were already interested, dice 1928 to this business and had returned visit to Miss Marie.
JPP : On the other hand, it is also a short time after the death of gets married Denarnaud that one sees appearing the first photographs of Bérenger Saunière. However, do we know with time that these same photographs are those of his brother Alfred, how, can we explain this mystification in your opinion? And in what goal ?
Antoine Captier : In the documents that Miss Marie bequeathed us, represent the two original portraits that we have ourselves same considered like being those of Bérenger Saunière. But makes some, It is very likely that it was about of his brother Alfred as some affirm it In what concerns us it would simply be about a mistake and no of a mystification.…
JPP : Marie Dénarnaud died in 1953, Mr. Corbu to traitor the domain of Bérenger Saunière to Mr. Buthion in 1966. You lived" the mad time" of the treasure researchers therefore on Rennes-Le-Château how it happened him ?
Antoine Captier : Dice that Mr. Corbu made the billions know the vicar's history many researchers and customers flowed to Rennes. It was especially about radiesthésistes that looked for separately and in hiding place most of the time. We kept of very good memories of this period because all happened in a healthy ambiance because the treasure of abbot Saunière didn't have anything malevolent.
JPP : You knew yourselves, one and the other to Rennes-Le-Château; being young happened to you him to look together for the treasure ?
Antoine Captier : We have, as a lot of other youngsters of the village, sought after the country in search of the "treasure." But it was by fun, a goal of walk and the opportunity to explore the underground cave of the vicinity. But it is true that already we drew the "triangulations "that allowed us to discover the engraved crosses or of the enrollments.
JPP : A last question before thanking you. In your current life", the inheritance of abbot Saunière" it is not too heavy to carry ?
Antoine Captier : "L inheritance of abbot Saunière" as you said, is not a heavy burden for us. It is rather worth us of the interesting meetings with people fascinated by this business. It remains while we pursue personal research on this affair that we would like to clarify completely.
JPP : I am anxious to thank you one and the other of your sympathy and your involvement to the life of the Site" Rennes-Le-Château the File »
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