The visit of Bishop Billard (1897)

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The works are concluded just in time to receive the bishop's visit: on Sunday, June 6, the feast of Pentecost, Monsignor Billard celebrates the confirmation for the boys of the village. On the same occasion, Saunière summons a Lazarist priest of Notre Dame de Marceille, R. P. Mercier, to preach the missions. 

During Mass, Saunière reads a welcome speech to the bishop₁; after a very long introductory thank you, Saunière complains that he was hindered in his work by some countryman: 

"I have had some bad experiences because of perfidious opponents who have raged against everything I had undertaken for the glory of God and the beautification of his temple. In days of obscurantism like these, they have not spared any means, even violent ones. Fortunately, Heaven has watched and Providence has caused their disastrous plans to backfire against them." 

But the priest does not have, at least on the surface, feelings of revenge: 

"My heart of Priest and Father has suffered a lot, because these souls, Monsignor, are even more dear to my heart than those of my children. Nor have I ever stopped asking my Divine Master to forgive them as I have already forgiven them in the depths of my heart, and to lead them back to the right path."

Saunière then goes on to describe the work he has recently concluded: 

"Since my arrival in this Parish I have set myself only one goal: to make this church a temple worthy of those who pervade the infinite cosmos of its presence, and to put into practice the adage 'audacem fortuna juvat'. I bravely got to work and God wanted my efforts not to be in vain."

Citing Billard's last visit, which took place in July 1889, Saunière lists the various modifications made in the church: two new windows, one of which are on the background rose window, illuminate the church much more than it used to be; two statues "of very fine execution" were fixed to the sides of the altar, those of Mary and Joseph; the arches of the central nave have been stabilized, the side walls restored and the vault entirely repainted; the pulpit, the baptismal font, a new Via Crucis and five statues were installed; new ones have been added to the old benches; the confessional was replaced by a new one; a large bas-relief has been hoisted in place of the old grandstand. 

"And even in the risk of going too long, I allow myself not to keep in silence the beautiful and original water-sant, the restoration of the sacristy, the Presbytery and the many works on the square. All this, Monsignor, I owe a little but a little to my parishioners, a lot to my economies and to the devotion and generosity of some souls unrelated to this parish."

It is an official speech that does not lack polemical nuances; to know some more details about the day, we must instead refer to a letter from Saunière to Giscard: 

"Our splendid celebrations for Pentecost, which were accompanied by a temporary interruption of our activities and the visit of His Eminence the Bishop, prevented me from letting you know before that I received all the pieces – as sumptuous as they are varied – that your company has kindly provided us, and from describing to you the effect that everything has had on the many people who have seen them. Even before the crowd too large for the small church, it was His Eminence who laid her eyes on all the beautiful works collected in the House of God: statues, bas-reliefs, pulpit, Way of the Cross, the baptismal font – nothing was ignored. What, however, struck his eyes the most were the source and the bas-relief; in particular, he really appreciated the latter, and spent a lot of time admiring it down to the details. He asked me in front of everyone who was the artist who had made the 'Come all to me' scene so well. Of course I mentioned your name. At this point, probably without ever having known you, he began to praise your praises with the most beautiful words in front of all my many confreres. The next day, Monday, we had some visitors, coming not only from nearby parishes but also from far away and, according to many, the news of these splendid works had spread throughout the region. Deo gratias! I am especially happy for you, Mr Giscard, since your name – passed by mouth to mouth among the many of my confreres who concelebrated the Pentecost rite – is certainly destined to become famous. I thank God: may your company prosper more and more. I pray that Heaven will grant you all this. Signed: B.Saunières (sic), priest". 

The letter follows the issuance of invoice by Giscard, dated 30 June 1897, in the amount of 2920 francs divided as follows:

With his visit, Billard confers an implicit imprimatur to the works installed by Saunière: if these, as maliciously suggested by some scholars, were dense with references unrelated to the Catholic tradition, the bishop would immediately take action. It was he, in fact, who compiled a regulation for the priests of the diocese, writing – about the purchase of objects of worship:

ON THE PURCHASE OF CULT OBJECTS – It is hoped that religious people will not buy new or unusual objects without having the certainty that these objects comply with the liturgical requirements and, in case of doubt, without having consulted the Authority. In confirmation of the analysis proposed in these pages, Monsignor Billard recognizes a symbology in all respects consistent with the Catholic tradition of France of the late nineteenth century.

1. The speech appears on Claire Corbu, Antoine Captier, L'héritage de l'Abbé Saunière, Bélisane, Nizza 1995, pp. 105-110.

2. Invoice 6/1897 in the name of Manufacture Giscard in the amount of Fr. 2920.