Philippe de Chérisey always maintained that the parchments allegedly discovered by Bérenger Saunière in 1891, first published by Gérard de Sède in L’Or de Rennes (1967), were his fabrications.

Towards the end of his life, Philippe de Chérisey wrote the following about the parchments to Geoffrey Basil Smith:

“Yes, I am the author of the message "BERGERE PAS DE TENTATION" quoted on pages 20-21 [cf, in Elizabeth Van Buren’s book, The Sign of The Dove]. My conclusions have been registrated at an attorney at law and by my novel ‘Circuit’ deposited in the Bibliothèque Nationale”.

A letter dated 8 October 1967, from Maître Boccon-Gibod, Philippe de Chérisey’s lawyer, about the parchments, following their publication by Gérard de Sède:

Dear Sir,
I am in receipt of your letter and I am writing at once to Maison Juillard and to M. de Sède to object to the use, without authorization, of the two parchments which you made and lodged in my office. These are in the book L'or de Rennes.
Yours faithfully
Maître Boccon-Gibod

In 1974, Philippe de Chérisey wrote in a postscript in a letter to French author, “Pierre Jarnac” (Michel Vallet):

29 January 1974
P.S. Do you know that the famous manuscripts supposedly discovered by the Abbé Saunière were composed in 1965? And that I took responsibility for being the author?
Yours sincerely
Philippe de Chérisey

Philippe de Chérisey repeated he fabricated the parchments in “Circuit” (1971), “Le Cercle d’Ulysse” (1977, using the pseudonym Jean Delaude), “L’Enigme de Rennes” (1978), and to Jean-Luc Chaumeil, Le Trésor du Triangle d'Or (Nice: Editions Alain Lefeuvre, 1979)

Philippe de Chérisey also described in detail how he fabricated the parchments and the methods by which to decode them in his manuscript “Pierre et Papier” (early 1970s), that was published by Jean-Luc Chaumeil, Rennes-le-Château, Gisors: Le Testament du Prieuré de Sion, le crépuscule d'une ténébreuse affaire (Editions Pégase, 2006). Translated into English, The Priory of Sion: Shedding Light on The Treasure and Legacy of Rennes-le-Château and the Priory of Sion (London: Avalonia, 2010)

After Philippe de Chérisey’s death in 1985, Pierre Plantard continued to repeat the parchments were forgeries in various accounts, the most pronounced statements appearing in his revived journal, Vaincre 1989-1990

Philippe de Chérisey’s letter to Geoffrey Basil Smith, undated, postmarked 1983

Pierre Plantard, Vaincre, Avril 1989, page 16
Thomas Plantard, Le Cercle: Rennes-le-Château et Prieuré de Sion, page 12 (1992)
Also shown on the BBC 2 “Timewatch” documentary The History of A Mystery, 1996

Pierre Jarnac, Histoire du Trésor de Rennes-le-Château, page 268
(l’Association pour le developpement de la Lecture, 1985)