Noel Corbu
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Noel Corbu was a hotelier in the Central French town of Rennes-le-Château.
In 1946 Noel Corbu purchased the former estate of the Abbe Berenger Sauniere, the former priest of Rennes-le-Chateau between 1885-1909, and during Easter 1955 he opened a restaurant in the Villa Bethania, later also turned into a Hotel. The hotel itself faced some difficulties due to its fairly isolated location.
Between 12th and 14th January 1956, the local newspaper, La Depeche du Midi serialised an interview with M Corbu in which he claimed that Father Saunière had discovered the treasure of Blanche of Castile the wife of Louis VIII and the regent of the future Saint Louis. This story was repeated by other French newspapers, lending the hotel a mysterious reputation which made it popular.
French Television later made a film casting M Corbu as Father Saunière.
Many of the stories related by M Corbu have been integrated into further narratives such as the Da Vinci Code.
These allegations by Noel Corbu also formed the basis for Pierre Plantard's later allegations concerning Berenger Sauniere (from 1964 onwards), which he expanded and integrated into his Priory Documents - Corbu's claim that Sauniere discovered "parchments" led to Philippe de Cherisey's manufacture of the famous "parchments" that appeared in Gerard de Sede's 1967 book "L'Or de Rennes" and which captured the Public's attention for decades - the real facts concerning which are only just now beginning to slowly materialise...
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