Van Urk (1958) has so far been known to the public only in the Netherlands and Belgium as well as in a small but exquisite, predominantly French circle of long time researchers. His book ‘Search for the Holy Grail and the Ark of the Covenant’ was a bestseller in the Netherlands. In his 10-year quest for the Ark of the Covenant he followed the trail of its whereabouts across Israel, Ethiopia and the South of France. Like no other, he knitted all the known and lesser known facts together in a compelling and believable account of what really happened to the Ark and its contents. He made a number of remarkable discoveries along his journeys. He discovered the ruins of a Templar Château on the mount of Montferrand near Alet-les-Bains of which no-one believed it actually existed. Another scoop was linking the Knight Relief over the entrance of the Bieta Mariam in Ethiopia, to the almost identical right panel of the Dalle des Chevaliers (Knight’s Stone) found by Bérenger Saunière in Rennes-le-Château. Known as the Indiana Jones of the lowlands, Klaas van Urk is the real deal, including the wax coat and the hat.

Klaas van Urk lived in New-Zealand for 7 years in the late 1980s. After he had read Holy Blood, Holy Grail, of which he had picked up a second-hand copy for 50 cents in a Cowboy Village during a bicycle holiday, he realized what he had missed all along: cathedrals, knights, secret societies, the history of Europe. He returned to live in the eastern parts of the Netherlands, where he runs a guest house during the summer, leaving him time to do research the rest of the year.

Klaas is preparing a much awaited English translation of his book and is preparing a second one.

About Klaas van Urk’s research:

Since 1991 Klaas van Urk has been an active researcher into the mysteries of Rennes-le-Château. Over the years he has made some remarkable discoveries. By exploring a string of strange events he uncovered an astonishing tale that reads like a detective novel.

Klaas made his first discovery while he was examining the small parchment, the Coume Sourde stone and the tomb stone of Marie de Blanchefort. He noticed that these three objects fitted together like the pieces of a jig-saw puzzle. He discovered to his own great surprise that he had created a real treasure map. According to the instructions, the map would lead him to a “demon guardian”. The treasure map located this “demon guardian” on top of a mountain not far from Rennes-le-Château. When visiting this spot, Klaas found the ruins of a fortified building. He realised that he might be on the trail of something, and indeed, after further research, Klaas found himself on a quest for a precious object that could best be described as the Holy Grail. His search got an unexpected twist when evidence mounted that the object he was looking for was not the Holy Grail but the Ark of the Covenant. Or could he be on the hunting for both artefacts? An adventurous trail led to the Holy Land and via Ethiopia, it brought him back in the South of France. From that moment on, Klaas was able to locate a string of possible hiding places up to Saunière’s time.

Klaas was one of the first researchers who recognized the importance of Notre Dame de Marceille, Alet-les-Bains and the role of Nicolas Pavillon in the enigma; though often touched upon, no-one has ever fully explored the latter’s involvement in the mystery – and the reason why the Compagnie du Saint-Sacrement sent him to the South of France.

The Book: Search for the Holy Grail and the Ark of the Covenant

 

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