The Quest for the Holy Grail, French 19th century Aubusson Tapestry

In The Quest for the Holy Grail, an allegorical and mystical tale imbued with clerical influence and the Cistercian spirit, "celestial" adventures contrast with earthly endeavors, and the figure of Galahad takes precedence over that of Lancelot. The Arthurian adventures unfold from the sequence of the different Grail tablets. The Last Supper, where Christ shared his final meal with his apostles, a prefiguration of his Eucharistic sacrifice, was followed, in the time of Joseph of Arimathea, by the service of the Grail. In The Quest, it is the assembly of the Knights of the Round Table who are honored by the passing of the Grail through a wondrous celebration. This epiphany prompts the departure of the Arthurian knights in their quest for the Grail, kept at Corbenic Castle by the lineage of the Grail kings. All the unfinished adventures set in motion in the History of the Holy Grail will then find their resolution thanks to the arrival of the chosen knight, Galahad the Pure, son of Lancelot and the daughter of King Pelles. The loss of the Grail and its return to the East, to the city of Sarras, result from the corruption of the inhabitants of Great Britain and mark the end of the wondrous adventures associated with this object. After Galahad's death, the final novel of the cycle thus inevitably leads to the death of King Arthur, the disappearance of his knights, and the destruction of his kingdom.