The Priory of Zion is an allegedly existing European secret society, which was founded in the eleventh century. Its intended purpose is to preserve and protect the original commandments of Christianity. It also acts as the keeper of the genealogical tree of the descendants of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene. Public interest was attracted to him through a number of books, among which there was a lot of controversy over the publication that became the best-selling book, “The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail”.
Zion's Priory plays a central role in the acclaimed novel, The Da Vinci Code, written by Dan Brown. It states that the organization was founded in 1090 in the Holy Land by Baron Gottfried of Bouillon, to restore the Merovingian dynasty, which are considered the descendants of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, to power. Among the leaders are Isaac Newton and Sandro Botticelli, Victor Hugo and Leonardo da Vinci. These names were listed in parchments known as the Secret Dossier (they were discovered in the National Library of Paris in 1975).
They say that after Jerusalem was captured by the crusaders, the construction of the Abbey of Our Lady began on
Mount Zion . It housed the monks of the Augustinian Order. As advisers to Gottfried of Bouillon, they entered a secret community, and also directly participated in the creation of the Knights Templar (1118) as its administrative force. This society functioned under various names, but the “Monastery of Zion” is most often mentioned.
The two organizations acted for common interests, but at the same time, to a certain extent, were competitors, which ultimately led to serious differences of opinion. The Knights Templar, as you know, was abolished (in 1312), but the Priory of Zion continued to exist and was ruled by grandmasters, or Grand Masters - people whose names are glorified in the history and culture of Western Europe.
In The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, the authors hypothesize that Jesus, married to Mary Magdalene, had several children.
They or their descendants left for the lands located in the territory of modern southern France. They later entered into marital alliances with noble families, eventually establishing the Merovingian dynasty.
And today, the Priory of Zion, announcing its revival in 2002, patronizes the descendants of the ancient French dynasty. In his opinion, the legendary Grail is the bosom of St. Mary Magdalene and, therefore, the sacred royal family tree, of which she is the ancestor. He devotes himself to the idea of a united Europe and a new world order.
The Catholic Church, in the opinion of the “Monastery of Zion,” tried to destroy the dynasty and its defenders, the Templars and Cathars, in order to maintain their power through the patriarchal line of the popes, starting from St. Peter.
But the problem is that although the Templars and Cathars, just like the secret society of Freemasons that arose in the seventeenth century, historically existed, all the evidence regarding the “Monastery of Zion” and offered as truth in the above works is actually based on false information. This is a hoax created by a scammer and contender for the French throne, Pierre Plantard, who is the founder of the Priory of Zion.