The Rhedonian is an independent research project exploring the history beneath the mystery of Rennes-le-Château and Rennes-les-Bains.
My interest in the Rennes mystery began more than thirty years ago. What started with the familiar stories of treasure, secret societies, bloodlines and hidden documents gradually developed into something much broader: an investigation into the history, archaeology, landscape, literature and people behind the modern legend.
Over time, my attention increasingly shifted from Rennes-le-Château towards Rennes-les-Bains and the surrounding landscape. Henri Boudet’s La Vraie Langue Celtique, the unusual geography of his so-called cromleck, the Roman and thermal history of the village, and the later writings of Pierre Plantard and Philippe de Chérisey have become central to my research.
The Rhedonian therefore approaches the Rennes material in layers.
Some material is historical and archaeological. Some belongs to nineteenth-century antiquarianism. Some emerged during the twentieth-century construction of the Priory of Sion mythology. Other elements are literary, symbolic, astronomical or deliberately playful. One of the aims of this site is to separate those layers before asking where — and why — they sometimes overlap.
My approach
I do not begin with the assumption that every pattern is intentional, nor that every tradition must conceal a secret.
Theories are treated as theories.
Where possible, I return to original texts, maps, photographs, archival material and the physical landscape itself. I am particularly interested in distinguishing what Henri Boudet actually wrote from what later writers may have imposed upon his work.
At the same time, I believe unusual ideas are worth exploring when they can be tested against evidence. The Rhedonian is therefore both an archive and a working notebook: a place where hypotheses can be developed, challenged, revised or abandoned.
About me
My name is Sandy Hamblett.
I began researching the Rennes mystery in the early 1990s and later studied archaeology at degree level, taking part in archaeological excavations and developing a much stronger interest in the relationship between landscape, material evidence and historical interpretation.
Over the years I have visited the Rennes region many times, examined original editions and maps associated with Henri Boudet, followed the landscape on foot, and accumulated a substantial personal archive of books, documents, photographs and research notes.
The Rhedonian brings that material together.
It is not intended to present a single definitive solution to the Rennes mystery. Instead, it records an evolving investigation — including discoveries, unanswered questions, false starts, reinterpretations and ideas that remain provisional.
Why I use AI
Artificial intelligence has become one of the tools I use in that process.
I use it to compare texts, organise large bodies of material, test interpretations, translate difficult passages, identify possible connections and, importantly, to challenge my own assumptions.
AI does not replace primary sources, fieldwork or judgement. Nor does it determine the conclusions presented here. It is used as a research assistant — a way of slowing down complicated problems, approaching them from different directions and making connections easier to examine.
Where AI-generated or AI-enhanced imagery is used, I aim to distinguish it from historical source material.
An open investigation
The Rhedonian is deliberately unfinished.
Research changes as new evidence appears and old assumptions are reconsidered. Some ideas on these pages will strengthen; others may eventually prove wrong.
That is part of the process.
The aim is not simply to solve a mystery, but to understand how the mystery was created, what history may lie beneath it, and why the landscape of the Two Rennes continues to invite investigation.
There is always more to explore.
