The Priest’s Madonna

The Priest’s Madonna
Amy Hassinger
GP Putnam’s Sons Publishers
ISBN: 0-399-15317-9
Fiction, Historical Novel
Reviewed by Nancy Flinn Ludwin

The Priest’s Madonna takes place in the late 1880’s in a southern French village called Rennes-le-Chateau. This beautiful village is set amongst pastoral hills where legends echo about the Dark Age Visgoths, Cathar heretics fleeing the Crusades in underground tunnels, rumors of hidden gold in local caves and to the myth of Saint Mary Magdalene.
A young priest named Berenger Sauniere is assigned to minister to the run-down parish at Rennes-le-Chateau where 16 year old Marie Denarnaud lives with her family. Marie works as the housekeeper for the handsome Father Berenger as he builds up the neglected shabby presbytery. This is based on a true story however fictionalized through the first person narrative voice of Marie.
Marie falls fervently in love with her charismatic priest and the feeling becomes mutual. They find a secret treasure dating back to the Knights Templar that will change the small parish and their relationship forever. Suddenly, when Father Berenger has all the money he needs to build up the small church with gilded artwork, questions abound. His secret, which holds the key to the Mary Magdalene myth, is kept and only Marie may know the truth about her zealous priest. As their faith and loyalty to God and the church are questioned, their roles reverse when Marie looks upward to the heavens for answers as Father Berenger looks downward for his.
The story has rich overtones of historical fact and Biblical history shadowed with emotional tension about Marie’s life and love. Also interspersed is the Mary Magdalene legend of her love affair and child with Jesus in Judea and her retreat to Rennes-le-Chateau after the crucifixion. Interestingly, these two women lived in the same place two thousand years apart and both kept their forbidden love secret.
The book has some religious dogma which weighs down the reading and takes away from the exciting story. Also, the chapters in Judea have unfamiliar names and the reader must stop to refer to the glossary of Hebrew/Greek/Aramaic words for translation. Otherwise, a very thought provoking story in the vein of the currently written literature such as The Da Vinci Code and definitely worth reading.