Saunière's Secret
France's most mysterious priest
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
In 1891, a poor village priest suddenly became fabulously rich. Bérenger Saunière rebuilt his church with bizarre coded symbols, constructed a medieval tower and a luxurious villa. Where did the money come from? The mystery of Rennes-le-Château has fascinated the world for over a century.
A priest, a treasure, a secret no one has solved
Father Bérenger Saunière arrived in Rennes-le-Château in 1885, in a village of 200 souls perched on a hill in the Aude. The church was crumbling. Six years later, he began colossal renovations, brought in artisans from across France, and filled the church with strange symbols. A devil supports the holy water font. The Stations of the Cross contain deliberate anomalies. Who gave him the money? The Visigoths? The Templars? Mary Magdalene herself?
« "Terribilis est locus iste." — This place is terrible. »— — Inscription above the church door, placed by Saunière
Father Saunière — France's richest priest
In 1885, Bérenger Saunière, age 33, was appointed parish priest of Rennes-le-Château, an isolated village in the Corbières. The stipend was meager, the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene was crumbling. But in 1891, during renovation work, Saunière discovered documents hidden in a Visigothic pillar of the altar. He traveled to Paris, met mysterious figures, and returned transformed.
From 1896, he spent lavishly: a complete restoration of the church with a disturbing symbolic decor, construction of the Tour Magdala (a medieval library facing the Pyrenees), the Villa Bethania (a luxurious residence), an exotic garden and orangery. The symbols he had carved into the stone defy classical interpretation: the devil Asmodeus, a reversed black and white checkerboard, deliberately erroneous Stations of the Cross.
Saunière died in 1917, taking his secret to the grave. His servant Marie Dénarnaud, sole heir, lived until 1953 without ever speaking. Theories abound: Visigothic treasure, Templar gold, a dynastic secret of Mary Magdalene, trafficking in masses. Gérard de Sède's book "L'Or de Rennes," published in 1967, launched one of the greatest treasure hunts in French history.
A game, a guided tour and a heritage guide — all in one
You're not just buying an escape game. You're carrying a living guide — historical anecdotes, forgotten legends, key monuments, hidden architecture — unfolding as you go.
At each stop, places ordinary guides miss — secret façades, sculpted crests, alleys steeped in history.
Every riddle is rooted in a real historical fact or local legend. You leave with dozens of stories to tell.
Learn to read buildings — flamboyant Gothic, Baroque, Art Deco — like a real art historian, while having fun.
Walk through the city like a novel's character — every alley becomes a stage, every square a theatre.
A voice walks with you at every step, tells the story of each place, reads clues, adds a cinematic feel.
Keep access to the guide & game for 1 year. Come back any time, share it with friends.
« You will not leave this city the way you entered it. »
How does it work?
Explore the city on foot solving puzzles based on real historical facts. No locked room — the city is your playground.
No app to download. Play directly from your browser. Guided step by step, at your own pace.
One purchase per phone is enough. Play with family, friends or as a couple — everyone participates.
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears and speaks to you in your language. Golden letters magically write themselves on the wall to reveal the puzzle answer.
Stuck? Progressive personalised hints. The character repeats the puzzle on demand — at your own pace.
French, English, German, Spanish, Italian + 27 other languages auto-translated by AI.
The game downloads to your phone on start. Once the "✓ Downloaded" indicator appears, everything works without data — narration, AR, GPS and puzzles. Perfect abroad without a data plan.
The Route
5 stages through the city
The gameplay: AR, camera, hidden clues
At each stop, open your phone camera: an augmented reality character appears on the façade and speaks your language. Hunt the clue — it materializes as golden letters on the real wall or floats in front of you. When you find it, the phone vibrates, an AR chest opens and reveals your answer fragment. 8 stops, 8 clues to find with the camera, 1 final code.
The stops on your route are a surprise. You'll discover them one by one, guided by your phone, starting from the meeting point.
How does it work with a group?
One phone = one team. Pick the number at checkout (1 to 10).
Solo, or a group sharing the screen. One team, one code.
Family, couple, or 2-3 teams competing. Each phone has its own code and its own score.
Friends, bachelor/bachelorette, small office outing — each their own code, each plays at their own pace. Tiered pricing then €6 flat per phone from the 6th.
- ✓All codes are independent — play at the same time OR separately, each team advances at its own pace.
- ✓Leaderboard between your teams + global game leaderboard — each score appears in the public ranking.
- ✓More than 10 phones or need a personalized quest? Discover custom tours.
Ready to live this adventure?
Get my code · 12€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
Cryptic symbols
Decipher the deliberate anomalies hidden in the church by Saunière himself.
Coded architecture
Tour Magdala, Villa Bethania, Calvary — each building is a clue.
Geography of the secret
Saunière's landscape alignments point to a precise location in the valley.
Historical enigma
Visigoths, Templars, Mary Magdalene — all trails converge here.
This place is terrible — but the secret is magnificent.
Crack Saunière's code before the secret vanishes forever.
9 features nobody else has
OddballTrip combines gamified play, augmented reality and AI. All our competitors deliver 1 or 2 of these angles. We deliver all 5.
AR treasure chest
A golden chest floats in front of the monument. Tap → opening animation → reveals a secret message.
AR narrator character
Point your phone at the façade: a knight, witch, monk, sailor, detective or ghost appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language with their dedicated ElevenLabs voice (each character has their own unique voice) — your living guide.
Magic golden letters
At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's the puzzle answer. An unforgettable visual effect.
Written + audio narration
Every puzzle available as text AND voice-over: read at your own pace or listen eyes-free while walking. Great in groups and for accessibility.
360° radar + vibration
A mini-radar shows the target even behind you, and the phone vibrates when you aim in the right direction.
Heritage storytelling
Every puzzle weaves in real historical facts (architecture, era, anecdotes). You learn by playing — like a gamified audioguide.
Progressive AI hints
3 levels of AI-generated help: vibe → where to look → answer format. You're never stuck.
AR selfie memento
At the end of the game, capture a selfie with OddballTrip banner + mascot, shareable on Instagram, TikTok.
Zero app to install
PWA technology: open the link, it plays in your browser. Same quality as an app, no App Store hassle.
Frequently asked questions
Q01Do I need an app or a paper guide?
Neither. Everything plays in your browser (Safari, Chrome) after you tap your activation link. No PDF to print, no download. The trail lives in your phone, that's it.
Q02Can we split Saunière's Secret across two days?
Yes — your code stays active and progress is saved. You can start Saturday afternoon, finish Sunday morning. Some players actually prefer this format to make the most of a full weekend on site.
Q03Is Saunière's Secret suitable for a challenge-seeking teen?
Absolutely. The puzzles aren't obvious — a curious teen will sweat just enough to be proud of cracking them. Progressive hints prevent frustration: if stuck, unlock hint level 1, then 2, then 3.
Q04What's the best time to start?
Morning between 10 and 11, or early afternoon around 2 PM, is ideal. You still have daylight ahead, Rennes-le-Château · Church, Tour Magdala & Saunière's estate is less crowded, and the light is better for camera clues.
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Your turn to play
From the church of symbols to the Tour Magdala facing the Pyrenees — dive into France's most fascinating mystery, that of a village priest who became a millionaire.
1 purchase = 1 phone. Play several on the same device.
No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
🪙+15 TripCoins granted with your booking
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