The village of Rennes-le-Chateau in France, long-suspected of being the site of buried treasure, has been struck once again by someone seeking riches.
Residents were dismayed to discover last week that an unidentified treasure hunter dug a fairly large hole at the foot of the church located in the village.
For decades, the sleepy community in France has been a key location in a vast conspiracy theory involving secret societies, specifically the Knights Templar, and purported treasure hidden there.
The tales proved to be so powerful in capturing the imagination that the town actually had to ban treasure hunting in 1960 because so many people came to the village hoping to unearth its allegedly vast and hidden trove.
An association with the Da Vinci code book series brought the site newfound attention in recent years, much to the chagrin of those who live in Rennes-le-Chateau.
And although the furor surrounding the location has largely subsided since the Dan Brown series has faded from the zeitgeist, this latest incident involving an ambitious ne'er-do-well digging at the church has raised locals' concerns.
"We don’t want to find ourselves with swarms of treasure-hunters again," observed the mayor of Rennes-le-Chateau to the telegraph.
However, in what may be a similar sentiment found in places like Roswell, not everyone agrees with the mayor as one small business owner actually expressed a longing for when the town was riddled with visitors looking for treasure.
While last week's unauthorized dig may be disconcerting to some, it's probably not going to spawn a new wave of treasure hunters coming to the area unless the person actually found something and they almost certainly wouldn't reveal it to the world if they did.
Coast Insiders can learn more about Rennes-le-Chateau by checking out investigative mythologist William Henry's recap of his visit to the mysterious location on the 8/4/2007 edition of the program.
Not a Coast Insider yet? Sign up today.
Source: The Telegraph