Haddington » Lamp o' Lothian from the north west.
A more general view of the Lamp o’ Lothian from the north west. When comparing this structure with Rosslyn Chapel one is immediately aware of the difference in size. St Mary’s Collegiate Church is much bigger than Rosslyn Chapel. This is explained by the fact that St Mary’s was built for and buy the population of Haddington. So whilst the good folk of Haddington banded together to create a common place of worship (and in so doing were able to rise considerable funds) the Sinclairs (st Clairs) of Rosslyn used their family’s wealth to built a Collegiate Church for their use exclusive use.
So although Haddington was a Collegiate Church it was owned and used by the general population whereas Rosslyn Chapel was used by a very small number of people - the St Clair family members.
Not only did individuals contribute funds but so to did the “bailies, councillors and community” and all actively raised money for ‘their’ Collegiate Church. With so many involved, all of whom had to have prayers said for them to release them from purgatory as early as possible, a large building, with sufficient alters, was required.
Haddington is therefore much closer in purpose to, for example, St Giles (which served the same purpose for the people of Edinburgh) than to Rosslyn Chapel.
St Giles and Haddington were large buildings and could not possible have afforded to cover the internal structure of their churches with the same profusion of carvings as the Sinclairs did at Rosslyn Chapel.
