Robert Howells - Inside the Priory of Sion: Revelations from the World’s Most Secret Society

Born in London in 1968 Robert Howells has spent the last 20 years investigating the mysteries of Rennes-le-Chteau and the Priory of Sion. During this time he has built up an extensive knowledge and experience of secret societies, symbolism and esoteric thought.

He is described in The Templar Revelation (Bantam Press, 1997) as having an extraordinarily extensive knowledge of esoteric symbolism and whose research into Rennes-le-Chteau is scholarly, sane and far reaching.

As a manager for five years of Watkins Books in London, one of the oldest esoteric bookshops in Europe, he extended his research into transpersonal psychology, sacred geometry, Gnosticism and alchemy. He also came into contact with a number of secret societies during this time including the Priory of Sion, the Freemasons, the Order of Lazarus, various neo-Templar orders plus Sufis and other religious groups.

From 20032007 Robert Howells worked as lead consultant and researcher on Bloodline the Movie , an independent documentary by 1244 Films which premiered in New York in 2008. He has since done talks and radio interviews in the USA and UK to promote this film.

During the making of Bloodline he acted as mediator between the producers of the film and the Priory of Sion. When contacting Sion he offered them the opportunity to put the record straight on the controversy sparked by The Da Vinci Code . In response the Priory of Sion imparted a wealth of information including over 300 emails, images and documentation and has continued to do so to this day. Along with his own research Robert Howells has compiled the information into this book, Inside the Priory of Sion .

Roberts other writings include a feature film script titled Belief in an Age of Chaos and a television series based on secret societies called The Hidden . He continues to write articles for magazines and take part in television and radio interviews about the Priory of Sion and is currently working on a second book.

Robert Howells is married with two children and lives in Kent, England.

REVELATIONS FROM THE WORLDS MOST SECRET SOCIETY

GUARDIANS OF THE BLOODLINE OF JESUS

WATKINS PUBLISHING

LONDON

This edition published in the UK 2011 by

Watkins Publishing, Sixth Floor, Castle House,

7576 Wells Street, London W1T 3QH

Text Copyright Robert Howells 2011

Robert Howells has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs

and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form

or by any means, electronic or mechanical,

without prior permission in writing from the Publishers.

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Designed and typeset by Jerry Goldie Graphic Design

Printed and bound by Imago in China

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Available

ISBN: 978-1-78028-136-0

www.watkinspublishing.co.uk

Asmodeus statue at Rennes-le-Chteau

Father Brenger Saunires cassock

St Anthony and St Paul in the Desert painting by David Teniers the Younger

Et in Arcadia Ego (The Shepherds of Arcadia) painting by Nicolas Poussin

Altar at Rennes-le-Chteau with landscape

Photo of Coustaussa, Pech Cardou and Blanchefort

Manuscript - Splendor Solis : Deliver me out of the mire

For Nicky, Aaron and Joanne

all that remains when the dust settles

There are a number of people who have greatly helped my journey. Bruce Burgess and Ren Barnett for the documentary Bloodline the Movie, which attracted me back to the mystery; Nicole Dawe, ever the sane researcher; and all those I met and travelled with in the Languedoc. Watkins Bookshop in London the Internet may have more information but the staff at Watkins have wisdom. The staff of the British Library, Glasgow University Library, the Wellcome Institute and the Vatican Secret Archive for their help. There is also a debt of gratitude to many authors and researchers who came before me, some of whose works I have listed at the back of this book. Should you wish to travel further along these paths, more can be found on the website http:www.robhowells.co.uk.

Thanks to my agent Susan Mears, who understood and believed in what I was trying to do, and the Watkins Publishing imprint of Duncan Baird Publishers, helmed by Michael Mann and his excellent team, who were brave enough to run with this book. Additional thanks are due to my editor, Peter Bently for his diligence and sound advice.

Finally, there are Nicolas Haywood and the Priory of Sion, to whom I owe the greatest debt. Nics knowledge and his willingness to bring Sion into the light inspired and underpinned this book.

Note: Unless otherwise stated all biblical quotations are from the Authorised (King James) Version of the Bible.

It was with little surprise that I received Robert Howells letter back in the summer of 2005. The manager of the antiquarian book section at Watkins Bookshop had already contacted me by telephone to see if I was prepared to accept Roberts correspondence. The manner in which I was approached seemed to me to be following the correct etiquette and displayed a marked respect for the order with whom he was seeking contact. Eventually we found ourselves immersed in a great deal of email, and his questions seemed endless.

From the outset many of Roberts questions required that I contact others in Sions ranks in order to negate reprisals or even harsh words and arguments thereafter. If I was going to assist Robert then I was going to do so with Sions blessing, or at least the blessings of those with whom I had developed a solid rapport over a period of almost forty years. Even then, things were not always to run as smoothly as any of us would have liked. There were some repercussions. Fallings-out, and a lot of explaining on my part.

Despite having been proclaimed a hoax back in the 1980s, Sion had continued to flourish as it had always done, and the apparent secret they were said to be guarding the Holy Bloodline was and remains but one facet, one element of which they are the age-old custodians.

What many could not comprehend was how the notion of a Holy Bloodline could encounter such hostility and offence. Surely those who believed the collection of writings incorporated into the Bible, those who had read them, could not have missed the fact that many of Christs disciples were said to have been married. Furthermore, many had families. Children. Surely their respective family trees could be traced, and if not traceable, then at least they were known to the families from whom they were the descended. In fact, the Roman Catholic Church even tried to kill all Jesus relatives on the maternal side. The Desposyni , or blood relatives, as Rome had called them, were to be expunged at all cost. Surely that act itself would be an act of Deicide. Why were those in Rome so worried? What did they fear sufficiently to justify murdering their own gods blood-family? Perhaps they feared the truth coming to light, and such a scenario could certainly not have been permitted. The rapidly growing new empire of the Roman Church stood to gain more than its predecessor, the secular Roman Empire, could ever have hoped: total obedience, but obedience based upon personal and spiritual guilt.