In an effort to provide a rejoinder to the previous article about Auguste de Labouïsse-Rochefort (“Labouïsse-Rochefort”, 12 April), the Rhedesium website has overlooked that the legend of the “Devil’s Treasure” was a work of the imagination and not real history (“But as the millions were imaginary”). There was no real money involved, it was a metaphor relating to the financial misfortunes that afflicted Labouïsse-Rochefort’s family (since the author also had to use his own money to bail-out his father-in-laws debts).

Philippe de Chérisey made mistakes about Abbés Bigou and Canueille – but appeals continue to be made to his far-fetched fantasies and to some nebulous “treasure” and “mystery” surrounding the area of Blanchefort – and that the local families were aware of this (their descendants did not know anything about the modern myths and legends that were spun since the 1950s, because when they first found out during the early 1970s, one member wrote a letter of enquiry to one of the French authors, asking what was going on and what it was all about).

The Rhedesium website should also be aware of the fact that the Romans did not just occupy Rennes-les-Bains but also the whole of France – spanning an area going all the way to Hadrian’s Wall by Scotland. There is nothing unique or special about Romans occupying Rennes-les-Bains and leaving behind archaeological traces.

Furthermore, there is no need to look for any “treasure” or “mystery” because it’s a well-known fact that Saunière obtained his wealth from the trafficking in masses.

The Rhedesium webmaster has chosen to disregard the hundreds of thousands of francs that Saunière obtained from selling masses – and decided to call it a “theory” – “Personally, I do not subscribe to the thesis of Mass trafficking as the sole source of the income of the abbe” (“Les carnets de l'abbé Saunière by Laurent Buchholtzer...”, 15 November 2015) – because the trafficking in masses explanation is a real bummer of a let-down when compared against looking for treasure, looking for mysteries and speculating about the Jesus Bloodline (an extremely serious historical conjecture for some people).

Yet again the Rhedesium website makes references to the story of Ignace Paris – a story that didn’t exist before Noël Corbu moved into Rennes-le-Château – something that has been repeated many times over and over by many authors! People have looked for the origins of the story of Ignace Paris without any success.

Yet again appeals are made to the works of Rennes-le-Château tourist guide Stéphanie Buttegeg, who’s only got vested interests in perpetuating these Amazing Stories. Yet again it needs to be repeated that Pierre Plantard’s VAINCRE of the 1940s was transposed over the VAINCRE of the 1980s which reprised the symbolism of the TEMPLE ROND. Brittany played an important role in Plantard’s Druidic and Gallic beliefs of the 1940s and it seems that the Round “Templar” Church of Lanleff could have served as an inspiration for those typical-of-the-period right-wing esoteric beliefs of the 1940s (and the historical Lobineau was a Breton historian).

It just had to resurface again because past Vichyite François Mitterrand was elected President of France in 1981 – and Plantard just couldn’t resist making Roger-Patrice Pelat the Grand Master of the phoney Priory of Sion in the process…

All we need is some evidence about why we need to look for treasures, mysteries and Amazing Stories. What a waste of time to mention people of the past who just didn’t believe in useless and phoney rubbish.