The Da Vinci Code Chapters 53–61 Summary & Analysis

Summary: Chapter 53

Vernet calls the manager of the bank and has him activate the tracking system on the armored truck.

Summary: Chapter 54

Langdon smuggles the cryptex into Teabing’s house and hides it underneath a divan in the grand sitting room. Langdon and Sophie sit on the divan and Teabing enters the room. Langdon says that Sophie doesn’t know the true story of the Grail, and Teabing says he will tell her.

Summary: Chapter 55

Teabing explains that Leonardo Da Vinci thought the New Testament was written by men, not God, and that some gospels had been left out. Constantine the Great was determined to unite his subjects under one religion, so he reformatted the Bible in 325A.D. To make the idea of Jesus a unifying force for his subjects, Constantine turned Jesus from a leader into a holy man. Constantine also included in the Bible many symbols of the sun-worshipping religion his subjects had previously followed. Teabing shows Sophie a picture of the Da Vinci fresco The Last Supper. There is no chalice or Holy Grail present in the painting, as many people think, but only wine glasses for each person. Teabing says the Holy Grail is not a thing, but a person.

Summary: Chapter 56

Langdon explains that the Holy Grail is a woman. He shows Sophie the ancient symbol for male and female. The symbol for female resembles a chalice. The Holy Grail is just a metaphor for the embodiment of the sacred female, which has been lost through Christianity. Langdon and Teabing tell Sophie that the Holy Grail is not just any woman, but a specific woman. At this point the manservant, Rémy, sees photos of Sophie and Langdon on television.

Summary: Chapter 57

Collet receives a tip about Langdon’s and Sophie’s location. He gets in his car and heads to Versailles. Meanwhile, Silas breaches the wall of the estate. He is determined to get the keystone.

Summary: Chapter 58

In Teabing’s study, the scholars show Sophie a representation of Mary Magdalene in The Last Supper. In the painting, she is shown sitting next to Jesus. The painting also contains several representations of chalices and the letter M. Teabing says Jesus thought highly of Mary, to whom he was married. According to Teabing, Jesus gave Mary instructions to carry on his ministry. Peter the apostle hated Mary and was jealous of her. Mary herself was the descendent of the line of Benjamin, a powerful line. Jesus and Mary had a child, or children, they tell her.