The Stone Cradle

In this gripping memoir, Patrice Chaplinreturns to Girona, the ancient city of secrets—its magnetism and enchantment never to beforgotten. It was in Gironathat she first encountered the hidden society, preserved since antiquity, that influencedillustrious figures such as Salvador Dali, Jean Cocteau, Otto Rahn, and HowardHughes—even Bérenger Saunière, the cryptic priest of Rennes-le-Château.What mystery is protected by this esoteric society?

In the spirit of her books The Cityof Secrets and The Portal, Chaplin continues her search to solve theenigmas of Girona. When the society seems to offer her its secret—on the basisthat she become its custodian and remain in Catalonia—she is faced with a decision that couldchange her life forever. Sensing danger, she must anticipate the intentions ofthose around her. Knowledge is not just power, but also the best way tosurvive. Drawn into aseries of adventures, she is taken to holy sites, isolated castles, and ancientgraves supposedly linked to religious figures from the distant past. Finally, Chaplinis led to an isolated, secret chapel—the domain of the Stone Cradle. Oncetouched, she is told, one would always return, even in dreams.

This is a place of multidimensional reality, butalso a place of peril, a portal to the unknown. What is its purpose? In theculmination of her work, The Stone Cradle, Chaplin discovers the secretof Girona and glimpses a truth beyond everyday reality.