In the south of France, particularly in the Languedoc, Mary Magdalene holds a central place in religious life. Much in contrast with the image that is in the new testa-ment and therewith in popular belief, she takes up the place normally associated with Mary, the mother of Jesus. Saunière devoted his church and much of his estate to Mary Magdalene and certainly wasn't alone in doing so. In their 1982 book Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, three British writers presented their hypothesis that Mary Magdalene the wife of Jesus, the mother of their children and the sister of Lazarus, at who's house Jesus was laid to rest after he had been salvaged from the cross by Joseph of Arimathea. It is claimed by many researchers and writers today that this story is interwoven with the enigma and building projects of Abbé Bérenger Saunière in Rennes-le-Château.