Today I am looking at the orangery at Tour Magdala, Rennes-le-Chateau, France.
I saw this photo on Pinterest 2 days ago.
Needless to say, I was smitten and wanted to find out more about this beautiful orangery.
Finding information and photos of the orangery has proved challenging. I think this is because the town, Rennes-le-Chateau, has a rather interesting history and has become a well-known tourist destination.
The town of Rennes Le Chateau is known internationally, and receives tens of thousands of visitors per year, for being at the center of various conspiracy theories, and for being the location of an alleged buried treasure discovered by its 19th-century priest Bérenger Saunière, the precise nature of which is disputed by those who believe in its existence, because of the sheer diversity of conflicting theories…
…Saunière also funded the construction of another structure dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene. Named after his church, he built the Tour Magdala on the edge of the village which he used as his library, situated on a belvedere that connected it to an orangery. The tower has a promenade linking it to the Villa Bethania, which was not actually used by the priest. He stated during his trial that it was intended as a home for retired priests.
Tour Magdala, Rennes-le-Chateau
The entire area around Rennes-le-Château became the focus of sensational claims during the 1950s and 1960s involving Blanche of Castile, the Merovingians, the Knights Templar, the Cathars, the treasures of the Temple of Solomon that was the booty of the Visigoths that included the Ark of the Covenant and the Menorah (the seven-branched candlestick from the Temple of Jerusalem). From the 1970s onwards claims have extended to the Priory of Sion, the Rex Deus, the Holy Grail, ley lines, sacred geometry alignments, the remains of Jesus Christ, alleged references to Mary Magdalene settling in the south of France, and even flying saucers. Well-known French authors like Jules Verneand Maurice Leblancare suspected of leaving clues in their novels about their knowledge of the “mystery” of Rennes-le-Château…
– wikipedia
As I mentioned earlier, finding photos of the orangery has been difficult. I did find a video that shows views of the orangery. I am posting a link to the video because I can take you to 9:30 where the orangery is featured. If you would like to see the whole video, just go back to the beginning.
CLICK HERE to view the video.
This website, belcaire-pyrenees.com has a few beautiful photos of the orangery.
Looking At Glass 