Rosslyn Chapel

Just forty minutes from the centre of Edinburgh lies one of Scotland's best kept secrets. Any fans of Dan Brown's blockbuster novel "The De Vinci Code" will know that Rosslyn Chapel (located in the small village of Roslin, which nestles below the Pentland Hills) has a history that makes it one of the most unique and fascinating buildings of its kind.

It would be easy to spend years living in Edinburgh without making the short journey to this icon of Christio-pagan architecture. Mention Rosslyn to any of your friends and chances are you'll be ; greeted with a blank expression. Why this is the case is beyond me. I first visited Rosslyn two years ago and have been back several t times since. You see, every time I leave I get the feeling I've only just begun to scratch the surface of what Rosslyn has to offer.

Upon entering the chapel I never fail to be overwhelmed by the sheer volume and intricacy of the elaborate carving that covers almost every available surface. It really is exquisitely beautiful and it seems to me that the masons who created Rosslyn were geniuses, pure and simple.

What fascinates me is the ease with which folkloric 'pagan' influences sit in such happy harmony alongside traditional. Christian freezes and motifs. For example, jutting out conspicuously between two altars (one to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the other to St Andrew) is a beautiful example of the 'Green Man'. This scary looking character has his roots in the Celtic tradition where he symbolised "the capacity for great goodness and the parallel scope for significant evil". Interestingly, the legend of Robin Hood is said to have evolved from this myth; Robin is both a criminal mastermind whilst also being a thoroughly decent bloke. The green man appears over one hundred times both inside and outside the chapel which bears testament to the fact that Sir William St Clair, third Prince of Orkney and the founder of the Chapel in 1466, was sensitive to the beliefs and spiritual identity of the local community.

In fact, Rosslyn is what was originally known as a "collegiate chapel". Thirty Seven collegiate chapels were built in Scotland between the reign of James I and James IV (1406 - 1513). They were "secular foundations intended to spread intellectual and spiritual knowledge, and the extravagance of their construction depended on the wealth of their founder."

William St Clair was not short of a bob or two, thus Rosslyn became a stunning monument to both Christian and non-Christian conceptions of life, the universe and everything.

The number of myths and legends associated with, Rosslyn is really quite extraordinary. A favourite of mine involves a stunning piece of carving known as the 'Apprentice Pillar". Legend has it that the Master Mason of the project received a model of a pillar so exquisite that he felt obliged to travel to Rome in order to view the original pillar before attempting to recreate, it. During his absence one of his apprentices had a vivid dream in which he managed to finish the pillar himself. The apprentice immediately set to work and by the time the Master Mason had returned the pillar was finished and was exceptional. Now, rather than being overjoyed that his young pupil had achieved such perfection, the Master Mason was overcome with jealousy. In a blind rage, he picked up his mallet and struck the apprentice with vigour over his head, killing the young genius and landing himself in a considerable amount of trouble. How wonderful that just forty minutes from your front door is a pillar so beautiful that it prompted an act of jealous murder by a Master Mason. Surely that's a reason to visit Rosslyn?

Another important carving depicts 'Indian maize'. This may not seem particularly exciting at first but it becomes significant when one considers that this particular crop was not known in Britain (according to conventional history) until a long while after this carving was completed. How did the mason know of this crop? Perhaps history should be rewritten?

If you're interested in Rosslyn and would like to know more, check out the official website at: www.rosslyn-chapel.com [or www.rosslyntemplars.org.uk]. But I implore you to go one better and see this place for yourself. Just jump on the 15A bus which goes up Princes Street, Lothian Road, through Tollcross and then continues out of Edinburgh to Rosslyn. Buy a day saver and you'll be there in no time at all for two quid. Not only is Rosslyn Chapel a fascinating and unique piece of architecture, it's also surrounded by beautiful countryside and sits next to the spectacular ruins of Rosslyn Castle which are worth the trip alone.

There is also a wonderful little museum that gives a charming history of the chapel itself and the surrounding area. If that's not enough to tempt you then there are also two excellent pubs in Roslin village where the food is good and the pints flow all day.

Tom Lea

Impact Cultural Magazine

Autumn 2004

Why not visit the magazine web site and see more pictures of Rosslyn Chapel? Click on the links below to go there

impact

cultural

magazine

http://www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/societies/impact/

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