'GRAIL' MYSTERY UNVEILED

'GRAIL' MYSTERY UNVEILED

A mysterious inscription on a stately home monument is likely to be a message from an 18th century Christian sect - not the location of the Holy Grail.

That is the view of legendary World War Two code-breakers from Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire.


The significance of the sequence of letters on the Shepherd's Monument at the Shugborough Estate in Staffordshire has baffled visitors for years.

The marble tablet, commissioned in 1748, features a carved image of a Nicolas Poussin painting with the letters D.O.U.O.S.V.A.V.V.M. underneath.

After months of study, the Bletchley Park sleuths say it is likely to stand for "Jesus (As Deity) Defy", a message from a sect called the Priory of Sion.

The order had to keep its views secret because the Church of England, which viewed Jesus as an earthly prophet, thought they were heretical...cont'd

http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-13254409,00.html

Thanks for the link. I'm going to print the article for a friend, who just finished reading the Da Vinci Code. Her head is still spinning from it.

I read the book about 6 months ago, so this should be some juicy reading.

It doesn't ring any bells.


Also check out the other story I posted re: the Knights Templar demanding a Papal apology.

Any thoughts?

i tend not to trust a word they say ya know? :eyes: