Dan Brown may have popularized this chapel in his book “The Da Vinci Code”, but this chapel was famous in its own right long before that. Rosslyn Chapel has been loved for both its amazing decorative artwork as well as the mystery that surrounds it.
Located 45 minutes outside of Edinburgh, Rosslyn Chapel, properly named the Collegiate Church of St. Matthew, was founded on a small hill near Rosslyn Castle in the mid-15th century. The chapel was founded by William Sinclair of the Sinclair family, a noble family descended from Norman knights, when they fell out of William the Conqueror and moved to Scotland.
The purpose of the church was to celebrate the Holy Mass for all the faithfully departed, including the deceased members of the Sinclair family. It was thought that a fast ticket into heaven was to have people constantly praying for your soul. After the Scottish Reformation, Roman Catholic worship in the Chapel was brought to an end, although the Sinclair family continued to be Roman Catholics until the early 18th century.
The chapel is quite small. It was originally built to be a full style Gothic cathedral in the shape of a cross, but when William Sinclair died, his son stopped construction, closed up the “top”, and made that the chapel. Though small in size, the chapel is filled with stunning architecture and sculptures. In this Catholic church, you’ll find Pagan fertility gods, supposed Masonic imagery, upside-down devils, biblical reliefs, references to Norse mythology, and the death mask of Robert the Bruce – all pretty unusual stuff for a Gothic church. You can spend hours looking over all the reliefs, statues, and images. They are fascinating. The most fascinating thing in the church is the American maize. Over one of the windows, there is clearly maize, leading many people to theorize the Sinclairs had contact with North America years before Columbus did. (Though that isn’t exactly revolutionary as it’s well documented that Columbus was not the first person to discover America.)
Yet what intrigues people about this place is the mystery that surrounds it and the mysterious connections of the family. Because of family’s connection to the Knights Templar (and the stone that says “Knight Templar” in the church), it has long been theorized that much of the imagery in the church has some secret meaning and that the mysterious treasure of the Templars is actually buried underneath in the church’s vaults. Yet, no one knows for sure. The Sinclairs did support the Templars, and there is obvious Templar and Masonic imagery in the church, though some of it might have been added later. What keeps the mystery alive is that the family has kept silent, leading many to theorize they are hiding something.
After the “Da Vinci Code” movie, thousands of people came here everyday looking to find some truth in the story, and thousands of people walked away disappointed. But whether you believe in the Da Vinci and Templar theories or not, this church is still a fascinating site to visit. The intricacy of the architecture will leave you captivated and breathless. And when you are finished, you can walk around the surrounding hills and visit ruins of the castle, which is an equally good treat.
Striking photo of the lion and good story of this now-popular church. I’m not religious but do enjoy the historic stories and battles between the various groups that have influenced so much of our history.
great article matt. Good to see something like unusual places in a travel site. Looking forward to reading through more in this series.
Great post, Mattilda. This is a place I’ve always wanted to visit. I knew the story before The Da Vinci Code
My wife was there last fall. Trying to explain the back story was pointless. It was very pretty was her summation.
Great post. Thanks for the story behind the site. I love to read post that not only present beautiful picture but also fascinating story.
wonderful pictures Matt, and a place that I want to see this summer, for its reputed beauty and its tranquil location (not the Ban Drown connection!). The picture of the spiral column is stunning.
Hi Matt,
It’s just so odd that I was just watching on tv – History Channel, in fact – abour underground Scotland. Apparently, there is a mining town some x (not sure about the number) miles away, where in 2002, they dug up an underground ‘house’ with several chambers. They showed the entire house made of cut-out / chipped limestone, including the tables. In some rooms, they found the masonic compass insignia etched on the stone blocks / rooms. Then, they found a suspicious-looking tunnel which was all blocked up with stones. Engineers and archaeologists warned them not to dig or remove stones because it leads to a major street above ground plus they suspect the direction it takes is towards Rosslyn Chapel! Awesome!
Apologies for the long comment.
What an intriguing little chapel with intricate artwork and fascinating story behind! Great post.
Great pics, Matt. I have yet to make my way out to Scotland, but when I do I’ll definitely try to make my way out to this chapel. I’m always intrigued by incredible stone carvings and all the stories and mystery would just be icing on the cake.
such a beautiful place – great photos!
Hey Matt,
Very cool website! Hope to meet up with you again at some point. We’ll always have Rosslyn!
Love the close up shots!