In the 13th century the seventh Crusade (1248-1254) was preached in the sanctuary of the famous Black Madonna of Le-Puy-en-Velay, in the presence of King Louis IX and the feudal lord of Thuret. The latter must have gone home with a copy of this Madonna in order to instill zeal for the "Holy War" in his subjects. All we know is that since that time a Black Virgin who looks just like the one that presently resides behind the main altar of Le-Puy, is honored in Thuret under the titles Virgin of the Crusades or Virgin-Warrior.

Several visitors have attested to the magical-mystical power of her church. Strange esoteric, masonic and pre-Christian symbols abound in this church, which the present parish priest calls 'a church of initiates'.

First there is the Fool somersaulting over the South entrance, while juggling and holding a mirror. In Ean Begg's opinion the fool was to warn the initiates not to enter sacred space from the wrong direction.(*1) Perhaps this means, look at yourself in the mirror of your conscience and enter the Way only with the right determination and motivation.

Above the 'right' North entrance a Dionysian figure holds grapes. The Greek god Dionysius was not only a lover of wine and parties, but also a promoter of peaceful civilization through laws and culture and the patron of agriculture. He was not a macho god, but rather womanly. As 'the Liberator' he freed his devotees of their normal, limited selves by allowing them to throw all worries to the wind in wild ecstasy. Perhaps this means, enter not as a proud macho man, but as gently as the Lamb of God. Loose yourself in ecstatic love of God (compare Song of Songs) and get drunk on the Holy Spirit (compare Ephesians 5:18).

Inside the church one finds to the holy water stoup which shows a horse biting its tail, reminiscent of the Gallic mare-goddess Epona. She was a nurturing mother-goddess of fertility, depicted as a white mare, pure, heroic, self-sacrificing. She became the patron of horses and all who work with them, e.g. the Roman cavalry. From being a guide to all who traveled by horse, she was promoted to leading the deceased on their last great journey through the underworld. In modern times however she seems to have been demoted to caring for a different kind of horsepower. The web-bulletin of the diocese of Clermont-Ferrand lists a blessing of cars by the parish priest of Thuret held on 8-8-2007.

A Merovingian sarcophagus reminds us of the legend that this dynasty descends from a supposed union of Jesus and Mary Magdalene.(*2) Though an older legend wants to trace the 'blue blood' of this dynasty to another set of human and divine parents. It states that the 5th century legendary Merovech, founder of the Merovingians, was the son of King Clodio's wife and a fabulous water creature related to the god Neptune.

Before getting too exited about the "bloodline" of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, it might behoove us to remember that almost all royalty (whether European, Asian, or African) claims mythical or heavenly descent. Hence the concept of 'blue blood'. As in the case of the Merovingians, the idea is always used to justify the domination of others. Descending from Jesus seemed like the perfect reason to need to rule the world, which is precisely what the Merovingians had in mind. One of the many reliefs in the church portrays a monkey with a chain around its neck. It may point to the necessity of taming our 'monkey mind' (the endless barrage of thoughts that distract us from God) if we want to reach divine union.

*1: Ean Begg, p. 227
*2: Ean Begg is very intrigued by this legend. He describes this dynasty as spiritual, but also acknowledges its political ambitions. Pp. 13-14 and 145-6. Jacque Huynen on the other hand characterizes the Merovingians as illiterate barbarians with a simplistic view of Christianity, which they imposed on others by the sword. They ruled France after the Germanic tribes had plunged Europe into the Dark Ages and put an end to the relative harmony that had been reached between Roman Christianity and Celtic religion. L'Enigme des Vierges Noires, pp. 56-57 and 61.