Rennes-le-Château a copy/paste of Bruges, the New Jerusalem?

The Holy Blood of Christ seems to have turned medieval Bruges (in Flanders, Belgium) into a Holy City. It's what, since the 19th century, made tourism popular in Bruges. But maybe this Holy City is not as holy as it seems, just because of this Precious Holy Blood that... well, could be pretty unholy.

The city is a copy of the Holy City, with its great Gothic churches called Jerusalem, Nazareth or Bethlehem... The Jerusalem Church, in the quiet St. Anna Quarter, is maybe the most remarkable of all these churches that dominate the skyline of Bruges. It was built in the 15th century as a scale model of the Holy Sepulcher by Anselmus Adornes and his wife, and with a rather morbid fake tomb of Christ in it.

The Holy Blood was brought to Bruges during the crusades by the Templars and the Count of Flanders. It was also a Count of Flanders who would commission Chrétien de Troyes to write the first Grail story... And in the 19th century the chaplain of the Holy Blood Chapel found something that turned him into a satanist... Does that remind you of Bérenger Saunière and Rennes-le-Château? Mmm...

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The Holy Blood of Bruges, a New Jerusalem

Every year in Bruges, on Ascension Day, the Procession of the Holy Blood takes place. The centerpiece is the coagulated relic of the Precious Blood of Christ. Sixty to hundred thousand spectators are watching this parade of historical and biblical scenes:

The Holy Blood Procession of Bruges, 2009