Da Vinci Code, The

Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code had an enormous worldwide success following its publication in 2003, implanting many misconceptions in the public consciousness. Brown and his publishers announced that the book is a work of fiction, yet they immediately went on to claim that it is based on fact. The first page of the book declares as fact (written in bold capitals) that something called the Priory of Sion is a real, secret organization founded by the European Crusaders in 1099. It goes on to state that in 1975, parchments known as Les Dossiers Secrets (Secret Files) were discovered in the Bibliothèque Nationale (the French national library). These “parchments” identified numerous famous figures of history as members of the Priory of Sion. These “facts” are ...