The Rosslyn Chapel, Edinburgh
Other Sacred Sites and Religious Art | July 2, 2010Rosslyn Chapel is a fifteenth century church; which is located seven miles from Edinburgh, Scotland. This church is most famous for its affiliation with Dan Brown’s, ‘Da Vinci code’. Through history it has been associated with the Knights Templar, the Holy Grail and the Freemasons. This chapel was built along with thirty seven other churches between the reign of King James the first and King James the fourth. The chapel is only a part of what was intended to be a church.
Founded by Sir William Sinclair from the St. Clair family. Sinclair was a Scottish noble who descended from the links of the Knights Templar. The chapel is quite small; about forty feet high and 70 feet long. Because it was not constructed completely, the shape of the chapel is quite asymmetrical. The stone ceiling of the chapel is arched and has decorations like five-pointed stars, flowers, roses, doves and olive branches.
Saint James’ symbol was seashells; which were found next to the carvings. These are intensely symbolic and represent ‘ St.james of the field of stars’. The Rosslyn chapel has many designs of ‘fluer-de-lis’. Which is associated closely with the virgin Mary and Royalty. There are three pillars in the east which has thirteen angels holding musical instruments. In between the north and south sides are representations of various stages of life performing different occupations. This is referred to as the ‘dance of death’. There are paintings of Isaac on the alter, Abraham, Samson and the Philistines, David and the lion, the prodigal son, the crucifixion, and paintings from the Rosslyn family.
The apprentice pillar which is a decorated pillar; that represented the mason, who was in charge of building the chapel; along with his apprentice. Legend has it that the mason wanted to carve the column precisely like the one in Rome. So he journeyed to Rome to study the column. Upon his return, he found that his apprentice had already finished carving the column. In anger, the mason struck his apprentice on the head and murdered him. At the base of the apprentice pillar is the head of eight dragons; from whose mouth emerges the vine that curls around the pillar. Depicting the tree of life(in the bible), although, according to Norse mythology, Yggdrasil holds up the heavens and the dragons of time, gnaw at the roots of the tree.
Come to Edinburgh and visit the very historical and wildly intriguing Rosslyn Chapel.
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The Chapel has also acted as a burial place for several generations of the Sinclairs — a crypt was once reachable from a descending stair at the rear of the chapel.
This crypt has for many years been sealed shut, which may explain the recurrent legends that it is merely a front to a more extensive subterranean vault containing (variously) the mummified head of Jesus Christ, the Holy Grail,the treasure of the Templars, or the original crown jewels of Scotland.
In 1837 when the 2nd Earl of Rosslyn died, his wish was to be buried in the original vault; exhaustive searches over the period of a week were made, but no entrance to the original vault was found and he was buried beside his wife in the Lady Chapel.