Rosslyn Chapel - The chapel is famous both for its decorative art and its mysterious

Rosslyn Chapel, originally named the Collegiate Chapel of St. Matthew, is a 15th-century church in the village of Roslin, seven miles from Edinburgh in Scotland. The chapel is famous both for its decorative art and its mysterious associations with the Knights Templar, the Holy Grail..
Rosslyn Chapel was intended to be one of more than 37 collegiate churches that were built in Scotland between the reigns of King James I and James IV (1406-1513). The chapel is actually the choir of what was intended to be a much larger cross-shaped church.

The chapel was founded by Sir William Sinclair of the St. Clair family, a Scottish noble family from Orkney descended from Norman knights and, according to legend, linked to the Knights Templar. The foundation stone of Rosslyn Chapel was laid on St. Matthew's Day, September 21, 1446.

After Sir William died in 1484, the larger building he had planned was never completed. Rosslyn Chapel's founder is buried in the chapel's foundation. Today, Rosslyn Chapel still functions as a place of worship for the Scottish Episcopal Church.

What to See

Rosslyn Chapel is relatively small, at 40' 8" high, 34' 8" wide, and 68' long. It has an asymmetrical shape, owing probably to its intended further construction.

The arched stone ceiling of Rosslyn Chapel is finely decorated in squares with five pointed stars, ball flowers, tablet flowers, roses, a dove with an olive branch.

Seashells are found next to a carving of Sir William, which are the symbol of St. James. Together with the stars on the ceiling, they may represent Santiago de Compostela ("St. James of the Field of Stars").

Throughout the Rosslyn Chapel are many fleur-de-lis designs. This may suggest the work of artists from France, but the fleur-de-lis is also associated with the Mary as well as with royalty.

On the three pillars standing between the east aisle and the east chapel is a choir of 13 angels with musical instruments, representing the host of God. On the ribs of the intersections on the north and south sides are representations of various occupations in life, referred to as the "Dance of Death."

Carvings on other pillars include Issac on the altar with the ram, Abraham looking towards his son, Samson destroying the Philistines, David killing the lion, the Prodigal son, the Crucifixion, and scenes from the history of the Roslin Family. Also of interest are the masons' marks on the individual stones, the use of which was rare at the time of building.

Rosslyn Chapel is the home of the famous Apprentice Pillar, a decorated pillar that gets its name from a legend involving the mason in charge of the stonework in the chapel and his young apprentice.

According to the legend, the master mason felt he needed to see the original inspiration for the design, located in Rome, before he could perform the complicated task of carving the column. But upon his return, he found that his upstart apprentice had completed the column. In a fit of jealous rage, the mason struck the apprentice on the head and killed him. The head of the unlucky apprentice is depicted in a corner opposite the organ loft, complete with a scar on his left temple.

The base of the Apprentice Pillar depicts eight dragons, from whose mouths emerge the vine that winds itself around the pillar. In Christian mythology, this represents the Tree of Life, but it probably was inspired by Norse mythology (perhaps due to Rosslyn Chapel's founder's connection with Orkney). The Norse Tree of Knowledge, Yggdrasil, holds up the heavens from the earth and the dragons of time gnaw at the roots of the Tree.

Near the Apprentice Pillar is a Latin inscription that reads, "Wine is strong, a king is stronger, women are stronger still, but truth conquers all." The text comes from the apocryphal book of Esdras.