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The interviews of the Site :
| Chantal Buthion |
April 2000 |
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 There is of it some weeks, Mrs. Chantal Buthion, girl of Mr. Buthion the former owner of the domain of Bérenger Saunière, contacted me. Dice our first telephonic contact, a passionate exchange instituted itself. We already discussed since one moment when all of a sudden an idea crossed me, and straight off I proposed to him: "So-called me Chantal, would accept yourselves from to answer some written questions that I will distribute on the Site ", her answer didn't make itself wait for which was a "yes" straightforward and clear.
It is this interview that you are going to be able to read. What is passionate in this dialogue is a girl's view to her arrival in Rennes-Le-Château in 1966. You will be able to discover her impressions her joys and sometimes her anguishes that she knew during her stay in Rennes-Le-Château.
I leave you to reading of this fascinating interview.
Thank you Chantal !
Jean-Patrick Pourtal : Mrs. Buthion hello, you are one of the girls of M. Buthion, the former owner of the domain of Bérenger Saunière. Your Parents acquired the just domain after the family Corbu. You remember your arrival in the domain and the village ?
Chantal Buthion : When I surrendered to RLC the first time, accompanied by my father and two uncles, us were in 1964; I was 13 years old. I meet again in the car that drove us in RLC; the time was gray and dull what gave to the places a strange and mysterious aspect. First contact with the domain of Béranger Saunière: the entry in a parallel world to the real world, a strange universe, unusual in which I had the feeling that it was necessary to evolve with prudence. And then, I wanted to discover, to explore this place that nourished so many conversations since some time.
JPP : You lived how long in the domain of Saunière and to what time ?
Chantal Buthion : My parents bought the domain of Béranger Saunière to M. Corbu in 1965 and resold it in 1994. For my part, I didn't reside the whole time in RLC but I surrendered there often for vacations.
JPP : Your Father had you he says in what goal he wanted to acquire the domain ?
Chantal Buthion : My father was "hooked" of the history of RLC and before living in the domain, we went on vacation the summer in this small village of Aude, so picturesque. It is to this time (1964) that we made acquaintance of M. Corbu and learned his intention to sell; to this moment, my father only told us that he liked this place and wanted to acquire it..
JPP : You were young to your arrival in the village, for you, that abbot Saunière and his Mystery represented ?
Chantal Buthion : The conversations between my father and us often carried themselves on the history of the Templars (The secret of Gisors, of Argigny and other commanderies.). We also evoked the research of hidden treasures and notably the one of Béranger Saunière of which had spoken to us my father's friend when we lived in Lyons.
As all teenagers, my brother and me we were captivated by the life extraordinary of this vicar. I remember that when I saw for the first time the face of Béranger Saunière, of face, on a photograph, I have been hit by the toughness of his look.
JPP : How the inhabitants of the Village have they took your arrival and how have you they welcomed ?
Chantal Buthion : They were especially distrustful towards the new newcomers when they came from another region of France; the welcome that was reserved us was polite but rather cold.
JPP : Can describe us to you the ambiance that reigned in the village to this time ?
Chantal Buthion : In 1965, the village seemed apparently quiet and restful but the visitor who stayed some days in RLC realized that an underlying activity took place in these places quickly: the researchers of treasure began to appear to the big discontent of the inhabitants of the village.
JPP : Can describe us to you the domain to your arrival and in what state he was ?
Chantal Buthion : To our arrival, the domain was left neglected. The gardens were not maintained anymore; the inside of the Béthania villa was to restore: plumbing, electricity, decoration; the greenhouses, the presbytery had to be repaired; the Magdala tower had to be redecorated; it was necessary to undertake many works all to put back in state.
JPP : To what time your Father decided to carry up a restaurant in the Domain ?
Chantal Buthion : Since our arrival, my parents had the idea to pursue the activity of M. CORBU. The opening of the hotel restoring The Tower took place at Easter 1966.
JPP : It happened to you to search for the treasure ?
Chantal Buthion : During vacations of summer, before acquiring the domain, my father looked for the treasure and my brother and me were not the last to participate in the excavations.
JPP : When you, your brothers, s.urs and your Parents, decided to lead a campaign of research, how the family organized itself her ?
Chantal Buthion : My father being radiesthésiste, he used the pendulum to determine on a card of the place the site of a faille that would lead to an underground. By this means, he succeeded in localizing with precision some interesting points. It was necessary to see the family Buthion (dad, mom, Chantal 13 years, François 12 years, Genevieve 7 years) equipped with picks, shovels, trash cans in plastic, to enter into a natural faille discovered by my father with his pendulum. We crawled to clear a tunnel of 1m50 of top on 0,60 m of width. By measure of security, my father had tinkered a system of talkie permanently connected walkie; thus, those that dug to the bottom of the cavity (50-meter long) could communicate with those qu were held outside and say to them: "that is it! We are of it! We touch the goal!" or" to soup! "for us the youngsters, it was hunt to the treasure but for mom it was the permanent concern.
JPP : At the time of our telephone conversation, you told to me that you had found several original documents having belonged to Bérenger Saunière, in your opinion, why the family Corbu doesn't have them her not taken away with her ?
Chantal Buthion : When my parents acquired the domain of Béranger Saunière, M. Corbu had big financial difficulties. He left as probably forgetting some papers having belonged to Béranger Saunière..
JPP : Among these documents, of it has t of it him that especially kept your attention and why ?
Chantal Buthion : I have been surprised by the content of a notebook of returns and expenses of Béranger Saunière, writes his own hand (a very beautiful writing) but surprising thing, in the column "Returns" he wrote down, in front of one date, soon" 1 child ", soon" 2 children ", soon" 3 children" and a sum more or less elevated returning themselves of it. I confess that I land more questions but I think of having an explanation that me révèlerai not here.
JPP : Still at the time of our telephone conversation, you taught me that several times the domain had been burglarized, and that many documents had been flown, have remember the content of the stolen documents ?
Chantal Buthion : At the time of my father's absences, one stole many documents having belonged to Béranger Saunière of which this notebook, of the books, of the dishes, his collection of post cards, my family's family tree (more than 3000 cards coming from all over the world), of the portraits painted of my big parents, the Book of gold of the hotel of The Tower that included the signatures, photos and dedications of such famous people, Johnny Hallyday, Brigitte Bardot, the Charlotses, Annie Cordy, Gérard De Sède…
JPP : To your opinion, what was, or what is, the burglar's profile ?
Chantal Buthion : It can have two sorts of burglars there :
the enthusiast of the history of Béranger Saunière who wants to appropriate of the objects having belonged him in order to find some answers to the enigmas; the classic thief who wants to pull profit of the sale of the objects and stolen documents.
JPP : Through the last two questions, one perfectly realizes the particular character of the Rennes-Le-Château history, to this title, your Parents, and maybe yourself, have been you victim of threats on behalf of individuals or grouping of individuals ?
Chantal Buthion : One day, in 1990, the telephone rang; I unhooked; a voice of determined man told to me: "I am going to kill" you and hung up. I was terrorized and I watched by the window in the event I would see this sinister individual. Was this a joke? Mystery. It is necessary to note that to that time, my father had also gleamed received of the phone calls of this kind.
JPP : Your Father, owner of the Domain and taking care of the restaurant, does have it, many times, to meet some visitors, in-has that marked you especially? If yes why and whom ?
Chantal Buthion : In RLC, I made the acquaintance of artists, of singers, of writers, of historians, of a druide, of mediums, of healers, of hypnotisers but also of very simple and very nice people who remained of the friends. My father, him, also met some characters as Pierre Plantard, the countess of Saxony Cobourg Gotha, descendant of Hapsburg's family, the princess of Médicis, the vicar of the church of St. Paul of Fenouillet who showed him a gold chalice set of precious stones offered by Béranger Saunière the vicar of St. Paul of the time.
JPP : In 1981, François Mitterrand went to Rennes-Le-Château, have it met you and that think yourselves of his visit in this village ?
Chantal Buthion : When François Mitterrand came to RLC, no member of our family was present; again owners, we lent the keys of the domain to the mayor of RLC who could make thus Mr. Mitterrand that appeared briskly interested visit the places. He even asked to see my father to converse with him of this strange history. This interview didn't take place, my father being well far from RLC to that time..
JPP : Since we are some to speak of famous characters of the Rennes-Le-Château business, a question burns my fingers, have met you Pierre Plantard ?
Chantal Buthion : I don't have myself ever met Pierre Plantard. Only my father knew it at the time of his visits in RLC.
JPP : For a lot of between us, Pierre Plantard is a myth, that you think of the character and the Priory of Sion of which him to supposed a long time to be the Great Master. ?
Chantal Buthion : I am not able to unfortunately today to answer this question because I never had the opportunity to debate some with my father or with other people. It will be necessary that I am interested in it.
JPP : Of your Father, M., speak often in his last book", The key of the mystery of Rennes-Le-Château" Henry Lincoln Buthion, except the excellent memories that him to him, can tell us to you what were their reports ?
Chantal Buthion : My father and Henry Lincoln are of excellent friends. Henry often came on vacation to RLC with his family. He came to shoot the first movies on Rennes with the BBC. There were some disagreements however between them on some points of the content of Henry's book" the Holy Blood and Holy Grail ". My father doesn't share the idea of a progeny christique by the dynasty of the mérovingiens.
JPP : Two authors marked the affair of Rennes-Le-Château: Gérard de Sède and Henry Lincoln , that you think of their writings ?
Chantal Buthion : I took pleasure to read Gérard De Sède; in his different works on the enigma of RLC, he knew to organize the ideas in spite of the complexity of the topics treated and to present the historic events in a concise and clear manner; his style is pleasant what doesn't waste anything.
As for Henry Lincoln who is one of my friends, I find his very interesting books and documented well. I didn't have again the leisure to read" the key of the mystery of RLC but it would not know how to linger.
JPP : Can tell us to you if you lived "or" underwent" the affair of Rennes-Le-Château ?
Chantal Buthion : I think that I lived it and undergone
I lived" it with the whole ardor of my youth; I got involved with passion in the research of a treasure but also I had the satisfaction to meet connected people, historians, storytellers, curator of the Library of Carcassonne, thanks to which I discovered the historic past of a region.
I underwent it because the history of Béranger Saunière attracted in these places a lot of people: of the cultivated and passionate characters but also of the illuminated by way of consequence, our family had to support such visitors; for personal reasons, I won't spread on this topic..
JPP : That felt yourselves to live to the daily in this domain built by a very particular priest ?
Chantal Buthion : We lived in the presbytery of Béranger Saunière. Of course, my parents had refitted it but I must say that I sometimes felt impalpable presences; this feeling was probably very subjective but I received people testimony having passed one night in the villa that had smelled like of it very ill at ease. Myself, one night, I was awake in start toward 4 H of the morning, sentient someone by my bed; I was frozen of terror; I lit light; nothing. Useless to say that I didn't close l' .il; charm overnight !
JPP : How define yourselves Bérenger Saunière ?
Chantal Buthion : intelligent, cultivated, charming; this man had the charisma, of the ambition, liked money and the pleasures of life. In short, for me, he didn't have in anything enriches it of a priest. I even think and I am not the only one, that he would have made himself name vicar of RLC to be one day in the places and to look for the treasure. Indeed, het was native of Espéraza and informed since the childhood of the mystery of RLC. Inhabitants of the village told to me, that teenager, Béranger Saunière and a friend, borrowed an underground that led them Espéraza in RLC; are these statements true? There is not any smoke without fire! What is sure that is that Béranger Saunière was since the childhood also attracted him by this enigma.
JPP : What is your opinion on the content of the secret and / or of the Rennes-Le-Château treasure ?
Chantal Buthion : I think that in RLC, two types of treasure exist :
incontestably a material treasure constituted during the history of money and objects of value accumulated and hidden: the treasure of St. Louis and Blanche De Castile, the treasure of Salomon's Temple in set down Jerusalem in RLC by Alaric.
a spiritual treasure that would bring to the humanity of the answers to big number of questions.
JPP : To your opinion, why Marie Denarnaud she never has anything revealed of the discoveries of Bérenger Saunière ?
Chantal Buthion : She had sworn to Béranger Saunière to keep the secret on their discoveries. M. Corbu told us that when he knew Marie Dénarnaud, she promised him than her him révèlerait a big secret that would make of him a rich and powerful man provided that he watches over her old days. M. Corbu provided to the material needs of Marie Dénarnaud until the end of het life but unfortunately for him, she left while carrying away her secret.
JPP : Think yourselves that one day one will know the truth on the topic ?
Chantal Buthion : I am persuaded some but " we know neither the day nor the hour".
JPP : For many, your Dad is the gentleman in white costume, we have all one question at the end of the lips: "Why is het always in white costume? ", Can illuminate yourselves us ?
Chantal Buthion : This question amuses me a lot. It is simply that he likes the white and that having lived in Algeria a big part of his life, he got used to wear white clothes.
JPP : I thank you for your involvement to the life of the Site" Rennes-Le-Château the File! "
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