PRIORY OF SION
The 1956 association
The contemporary organisation began as a local French association, not as a verified medieval order.
Between archive & legendThe Priory
The Priory
of Sion
A secret society said to guard an ancient mystery. A trail of manuscripts, medieval legends and a remarkable twentieth-century deception. Discover what the evidence actually tells us.
The historical record
A mystery born in modern France
The documented Priory of Sion was established in Annemasse, France, in 1956, associated with Pierre Plantard. Its later claims of a medieval foundation and an unbroken succession of grand masters are not supported by reliable historical evidence.
The secret dossiers
Documents promoting the Priory's supposed ancient lineage appeared in the 1960s. They are widely identified as fabrications.
Rennes-le-Château
A real French village and its priest, Bérenger Saunière, became central to the much later treasure and bloodline stories.
A chronology of the legend
From legend to bestseller
1099The claimed medieval founding date appears in the legend, not in reliable contemporary evidence.
1956The documented Priory of Sion association is registered in France.
1960sAlleged genealogies and secret dossiers help construct its invented ancient history.
1982–2003The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail and then The Da Vinci Code bring the story to a worldwide audience.
Evidence & imagination
What about the Templars and Holy Grail?
The legend connects the Priory to the Knights Templar, Merovingian kings, Leonardo da Vinci and a secret bloodline. These are compelling themes for fiction and speculative writing, but there is no credible evidence that the documented 1956 group inherited a medieval secret tradition.
The distinction matters: the Knights Templar were a genuine medieval order; the Priory of Sion's alleged medieval lineage is a modern invention.
Further reading