Winchester Cathedral is using some of the fee from hosting film-makers to debunk the Hollywood blockbuster
The cathedral was paid a reported £20,000 to allow The Da Vinci Code to be filmed in the historic building last autumn.
The Mayor of Winchester, Neil Baxter, yesterday opened an exhibition, Cracking the Code, in the north transept. It seeks to tell the real story behind the book.
Dan Brown's blockbuster claims Jesus had children with Mary Magdalene and that their descendants are still alive today. The book says the church has stopped at nothing, including murder, to suppress the truth.
The cathedral says the book is inaccurate but its massive success gives it a great chance to reach out to a new audience.
The film, starring Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou, is due for release in May.
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