A hidden secret? A cryptic mystery? Are medieval churches books of stone created to hand down the secret teachings of the medieval mystics? Today, eight centuries after their construction, the subject still causes fascination. Whilst the directors of historic monuments refer to art history and medievalists seldom leave the confines of political history, the esotericists are still developing new theories. The church of Bénévent-l'abbaye is no exception with regard to this observation.
Built in the heart of a village in the Creuse area (in the Limousin), its architecture is modelled on a pagan Celtic cross. It has also been built over underground steams, ley lines and its axis follows the rising and the setting of the sun at the solstice. A jewel of Romanesque art, its symbolism talks about new dimensions and the cosmos. It is the mirror of man, who, through his spiritual being, stands at the intersection of heaven and earth. What is this path that the church of ‘Bénévent’ reveals to us? What is the quest it beckons modern man to take? This 50-minute talk discusses the subject using the knowledge of the ancients.
