Introduction: Who even is Leonardo Da Vinci?
Leonardo Da Vinci was a famous “renaissance man”, painter, architect, inventor, sculptor, engineer, writer, and mathematician in the mid 1400’s. At the age of 15, Da Vinci was already a great artist, working as an apprentice to Andrea del Verrocchio. His most famous paintings are the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper. It is believed that Leonardo was part of a Secret Society known as the Priory of Sion and hid secret symbols and letters into the Mona Lisa.
The Davinci Code is a novel written by Dan Brown that follows a symbologist and cryptologist who become involved in a “battle between the Priory of Sion and Opus Deiover”. It explores an alternative religous history including a belief that Jesus and Mary Magdalene actually were married; the book also refers to The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail (1982) though Dan Brown has stated that it was not used as research material” (http://ahnen.greyfalcon.us/treasure3.htm). This novel also relates to Secret Societies such as the Illuminati and Freemasons.
History vs The Da Vinci Code
Famous historical figures such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Issac Newton, and Victor Hugo are believed to be part of the Secret Society, the Priory of Sion. But according to Got Questions Ministries, As with most of what is contained in The Da Vinci Code, there is very little, if any, evidence that would support these conclusions about the Priory of Sion. The Priory of Sion was founded in 1956, not 1099. The supposed ledgers of members of the Priory of Sion are considered to be fraudulent by most respected historians and scholars. The Da Vinci Code takes the Priory of Sion, attaches unfounded conspiracy theories about its origins and purposes, and uses it as evidence of a vast cover-up of Jesus’ marriage to Mary Magdalene” (What is the Priory of Sion?) In oppositon of that statement, it is believed that the Priory of Sion was in fact founded in 1099, but was not known of by the public until 1967. It is difficult to distinguish which information is factual, and which is fictional when investigating the Priory of Sion because “the supposed history and significance of the Priory varies widely from writer to writer” (History vs The Da Vinci Code).
Works Cited
Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code: A Novel. New York: Doubleday, 2003. Print.
“History vs The Da Vinci Code.” History vs The Da Vinci Code. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2015.
“Leonardo Da Vinci – The Complete Works.” Leonardo Da Vinci – The Complete Works. Creative Commons License, n.d. Web. 08 May 2015.
“Secret Societies,The Prieure Du Sion, The Knights Templars and The DaVinci Code.” Secret Societies,The Prieure Du Sion, The Knights Templars and The DaVinci Code. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2015.
“The Priory of Sion.” GotQuestions.org. Got Questions Ministries, n.d. Web. 08 May 2015.
Investigating Secret Societies 