Architecture: Rosslyn Chapel, Midlothian
Amid an enigmatic riot of style and symbolism, Cleo Paskal
attempts to unravel the mystery of Rosslyn Chapel
© Rosslyn Templars
"This building, I believe, may be pronounced unique, and I am confident it will be found curious, elaborate and singularly interesting." So stated Rosslyn Chapel's entry in the 1812 edition of Architectural Antiquities of Britain, but the description still held true on my visit today. Located a few miles outside Edinburgh, down a small, bumpy lane, the building of this small chapel has altogether involved three continents, 1,000 years and one very significant artichoke. But exactly how it came to be built is an X-Files-style conundrum that has been entertaining the over-educated for centuries.
Almost entirely covered with scaffolding (restoration is in progress) and shielded by strong wintry sunlight, it was difficult to decipher anything of the building from the outside. As we stepped into the cool, dark interior, we were hit by an overwhelming blur of ornate masonry. Every inch of this solid stone structure seemed to be chiselled, carved or otherwise embellished. As our eyes gradually adjusted to the gloom, we realised that these were not mere decorations, but complex pieces of a fathomless puzzle.
One arch supported a relief of the Seven Deadly Sins, shown in excruciating detail. Another featured the Dance of Death and, nearby, a pedestal held an angel clutching the heart of Robert the Bruce. The roof was covered with stars and flowers and elsewhere we made out elephants, compasses, knights on horseback, dragons, stonemasons, five-pointed stars, six-pointed stars, an angelic orchestra (complete with bagpiper) and plenty of Green Man motifs. Plus, er, an artichoke. In other words, symbols that relate to almost everyone from ancient Egyptians, Celts, and Templars to Jews, Christians and Masons. Rosslyn Chapel must be one of the most compelling buildings on earth.
To even begin to understand Rosslyn, you have to go back about 900 years to the time of the Crusades. As waves of Christians tried to take Jerusalem from the Muslims, various groups of knights organised themselves into Orders to aid the cause. In 1118, nine energetic aristocrats founded the Order of the Poor Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon (commonly known as the Templars, after Simon Templar - The Saint), a name that related to their headquarters beside the ruins of King Solomon's temple.
The Pope declared the Templars were to be under no authority but his own, and for the next 200 years the Order's seductive combination of privilege and adventure swelled both their ranks and their power. But they were suspected of being more than just warriors for Christ. Some thought that they were searching King Solomon's temple for relics and manuscripts that would help them understand the "hidden magic" of Judaism. Others believed they were the military arm of an even more covert Order, the Prieuré de Sion.
Adding fuel to these fears, the secretive Templars moved into banking and began lending money to some of Europe's top rulers. But, by October 1307, they had made one enemy too many and one of their main debtors, the French King Philip the Fair, ordered all 15,000 or so Templars in France to be arrested. Many of the leaders were executed for heresy and Templar property was given over to another order, the Knights Hospitaler (also known as the Knights of Malta).
Before the arrests, some of the Templars are thought to have burnt their record books, left the country and filled a reported 18 ships with treasure. Many of the survivors (and possibly the treasure) are supposed to have found their way to Scotland. Cue Prince Henry St. Clair, Lord of Shetland, Lord Chief Justice of Scotland, Admiral of the Sea, Duke of Oldenburg, Baron of Rosslyn, Prince of Orkney and a few other things. Prince Henry had more connections than a Lego set. And he was descended from both Templars and a couple of Prieuré de Sion Grand-masters. If his blood was any bluer, Picasso would have used it for paint.
According to one story, Prince Henry was conscripted by the remaining Templars to find them a new home. The Muslims had cut off trade routes to the east, so Prince Henry headed west. In the Faroe Islands, he is said to have run into some shipwrecked Venetian sailors and, with them, sailed even further west, past Iceland and Greenland to Drogio, in North America. It is possible. The year was 1398, well over 100 years before Columbus reached the New World but still 400 years after the Vikings arrived in Newfoundland. Some believe Prince Henry made the trip to update an old Templar map of the region (his grandson is rumoured to have told his in-laws, one of whom was the wife of Christopher Columbus, about the journey). Whether true or not, Prince Henry is thought to have spent winter in Nova Scotia and then returned to the Scottish Isles, where he was killed. The Templars didn't move to Nova Scotia.
In 1446, Prince Henry's other grandson, Sir William, decided to build a chapel incorporating the range of influences on his life. The Crusades, the Templars, the voyage to North America, you name it.
Designs were first carved in wood and then chiselled in stone. Masons from across Europe were brought to work on the grand project and some thought the project was all a cover to allow the remaining Templars (many of whom had morphed into Freemasons) to move to Scotland.
After 40 years, with Sir William dead, the work stopped and Rosslyn Chapel was left incomplete. But what remains is astounding. Carved into the walls are scenes from the Crusades, angels in Masonic poses, plants from North America (which hadn't been "discovered" yet), a symbolic, Masonic artichoke and a thousand other secrets for conspiracy-spotters to drool over.
Some theorists insist that the Templar treasures are hidden in the crypt and pillars of Rosslyn Chapel, but that just adds to the intrigue. The current Earl refuses to investigate. In a fitting postscript to the Architectural Antiquities of Britain entry, he describes Rosslyn as "the hinterland between history and fable".
Rosslyn Chapel is about six miles south of Edinburgh, in Roslin, Midlothian, EH25 9PU (0131 440 2159). The chapel is open from Monday to Saturday between 10am and 5pm and on Sundays from 12 noon to 4.45pm (entrance costs £4 [£6 in 2003 - Ed.] for adults and is free for children under 13)
The Guardian
03 March 2001