Thanks to the hype surrounding The Da Vinci Code, tracking occult symbols in the Manitoba Legislature has put Winnipegger Frank Albo into the limelight.
Albo's research made him a sought-after expert soon after Dan Brown's controversial best-selling novel began flying off bookstore shelves.
The Da Vinci Code film hits theatres today.
Once dubbed "The Dan Brown of Canada," Albo studies secret societies and occult symbols, similar to the book's main character, Robert Langdon.
He's done about 20 interviews on the topic since his work was featured in the Sun last February.
PRAYER MOVEMENT
At one point, his Legislature findings sparked a prayer movement.
"When there was a real sensation about what I was doing, there was a church group in Texas that was praying for Winnipeg, thinking it was cursed by this building," said Albo.
He says the government building is loaded with occult symbolism, from the floor plan to the Golden Boy.
The number 13, for example, is repeated in the design and is contained in a mathematical code some deem a "blueprint for the plan of God," said Albo.
He cites eight-pointed stars, hieroglyphics and the original height of the Golden Boy as examples of occult architecture.
"There's a growing scholarly consensus in embracing the building as being more than a provincial Legislature," Albo said in a phone interview from the University of Amsterdam, where he's on a one-year scholarship studying heretical movements and secret societies.
He appreciates The Da Vinci Code craze's ability to make history cool.
"Da Vinci Code no doubt helps get a public enthusiasm in what I'm doing and I think that's fantastic," said Albo.
But the movie also threatens to reduce his credibility, he added.
"I really applaud the work, but as for its historical merit, it's a work of fiction," he said.
The novel's hero, Robert Langdon, uses symbols and codes to hunt for the Holy Grail, charting supposed conspiracies of the Catholic Church along the way.
The plot proposes Jesus Christ was mortal, married and had children, and the Catholic Church re-wrote history to cover it up.
It also claims Mary Magdalene was Christ's wife, not a prostitute.
The book has sparked a religious backlash. India's government delayed the film's release this week after more than 200 complaints from Catholic groups.
But in Winnipeg, churches haven't called for a boycott
Source: http://www.winnipegsun.com/News/Manitob ... 3-sun.html
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