Priory of Sion confirms Hammott’s tomb: “One of three in the area”

Nicolas Haywood, representing the Priory of Sion, confirmed both by email and in phone conversations to the Bloodline producers, that Ben Hammott’s tomb is real and that it’s one of three tombs in the area near Rennes-Le-Chateau. He said that the three tombs each contain a shrouded corpse, and their locations form a triangle around a larger central ‘repository’, and that at least one the tombs contains a woman. He also said that there are items in all three tombs that come from this larger ‘repository’. He would not be drawn on any specifics about what was in this repository, but according to the producers, the inference was that it had been used to hold both Templar and Cathar relics, archives and treasure since it was first hidden there in the 13th century.

Bruce Burgess said: “He implied that most of what had been stored down there had been either looted or melted down, but that the larger objects, much harder to move, were still there. When I asked him what they were, he said that it was possibly the great Menorah from the Temple in Jerusalem.”

These tombs are considered sacrosanct by the Priory of Sion and Haywood was blunt with us about tampering with them in any way, noting we would get ‘much more than we bargained for,’ and there would be immediate and severe consequences’ if we thought of looting the tomb. He said that ‘ would not be, and could not be allowed’.

Haywood explained that up to the French Revolution, generations of local noble families, incuding the De Blancheforts, Aniorts, de Negre d’Ables and Hautpouls had been guardians of these tombs, but thereafter that responsibility fell into the hands of the local priests. Hence the involvement of Abbes Bigou, Sauniere, Boudet and Gelis. Since the death of Sauniere, the tombs and the site have been left in disrepair. Abbe Sauniere blocked up the entrance using similar stones for which he constructed his grotto up at RLC.

According to Haywood, the Abbe Sauniere had looted from the tomb that Ben has discovered, hence the open chests, and scattered objects. Apparently, Sauniere had been repeatedly warned not to do so, and it was likely that his death was not an accident.

Producer, Rene Barnett, said: “So far we have only very limited access to Ben’s tomb, but we have a good idea of where the other two are, using simple trigonomics. So we hope to soon be able to get to this main repository, either through one of the underground passageways, or from ground level. This is tremendously exciting.”

Ben Hammott said: “I knew when I discovered the tomb that it could be important, but now that it could be part of an even bigger undeground complex which houses some of the Templar relics and treasure…I’m speechless. These discoveries keep getting bigger and bigger. We don’t know much about this guy Haywood or the modern Priory of Sion, but I think it’s great that he has authenticated the tomb I found.”

Burgess had this to say finally: “ Ben and the film have come under quite a lot of fire for our amateur archaeology, especially with the tomb, but the fact is that when Ben found it, it was damp and water was leaking into it, slowly rotting the contents. Ben then sealed it up, and it is now bone dry and protected from the water, so in fact, Ben Hammott has saved this tomb.”