Rue Haxo

Rue Haxo is a street in the western outskirts of Paris, near the Roland Garros tennis stadium, that serves as the address for the Depository Bank of Zurich, where Jacques Saunière's safe-deposit box—containing the Priory keystone—is located.

Location and Setting

Rue Haxo is situated in an industrial neighborhood on the western outskirts of Paris, adjacent to the Roland Garros tennis stadium. When Sophie Neveu and Robert Langdon arrive there after escaping the Louvre, they find a modern building that is a squat citadel with a giant neon equal-armed cross emblazoned atop its facade. Beneath the cross are the words "DEPOSITORY BANK OF ZURICH." The building is a windowless rectangle forged entirely of dull steel, resembling an enormous metal brick set back from the road. The bank's entrance features a fifteen-foot-tall neon equilateral cross glowing over its facade.

Events at Rue Haxo

Sophie and Langdon drive to Rue Haxo after deciphering the address written in invisible ink on the back of the gold key Saunière left for Sophie behind the painting Madonna of the Rocks. The address—24 Rue Haxo—was written with a black-light stylus and became visible only under ultraviolet light. Upon arrival, Sophie inserts the gold key into a triangular hole at the gate's electronic podium, and the gate opens, allowing them to drive down a cement-lined ramp into the bank's underground garage. Inside, they use the key and the Fibonacci sequence as the account number to access Saunière's safe-deposit box, which contains the rosewood box holding the cryptex—the Priory keystone.

Narrative Significance

Rue Haxo represents the culmination of the first major stage of Sophie and Langdon's quest: the retrieval of the keystone. The address is the final piece of a chain of clues left by Saunière—the Fibonacci sequence, the anagram "Leonardo da Vinci! The Mona Lisa!," and the hidden key behind the painting—all designed to lead Sophie to this bank. The location's industrial, unremarkable character contrasts sharply with the monumental significance of what lies inside: the keystone that holds the secret to the Holy Grail. The bank's anonymity and high-tech security systems reflect the Priory of Sion's methods of protecting its secrets through obscurity and compartmentalization.