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| Rosslyn Chapel |
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Our tour continues as we leave the City of Edinburgh and travel a short distance to Rosslyn Chapel.
Rosslyn Chapel, or The Collegiate Church of St Matthew, was founded in 1446 by Sir William St Clair of Orkney.It took forty years to build and the village of Roslin was purpose built to house the stonemasons and labourers needed in its construction. It has survived many turbulent periods in Scottish history; during the Reformation, for example, the St Clairs remained true to their Roman Catholic faith and during the Civil War in 1650 Cromwells troops attacked the castle and horses were stabled in the chapel but no irreparable damage occurred. The chapel was then abandoned until 1736 when some repairs were attempted but it was not until the 1950s that considerable restoration work was carried out which is now known to have damaged the fabric of the building. As a consequence, in 1997 a free-standing steel structure was erected to cover the chapel with the intention of drying the building from within. It is hoped that in a few years time the chapel will return to its former glory.
The Masons Pillar and The Apprentice Pillar are famed worldwide and Rosslyn Chapel contains the largest amount of carvings of Green Men found in any medieval building. In addition there are many references to Freemasonry and Knights Templar. The most recent discovery has been made by an Edinburgh father and son who claim to have unlocked the secret of the musical tune hidden in the carvings of the arched cubes in the Lady Chapel. Rosslyn Chapel stands on the edge of the steeply wooded Esk Valley and there are pleasant walks through Rosslyn Glen.The glen itself has been associated with many historical and literary figures and William and Dorothy Wordsworth, Sir Walter Scott, Lord Byron and Alexander Naysmith were all visitors to this lovely spot. Indeed Dr Johnston and his companion Boswell stopped at Rosslyn Inn for tea. A visit to Rosslyn Chapel therefore is filled with interest and allows you to follow in the footsteps of many illustrious people who have gone before. |
There has been a resurgence of interest in Rosslyn Chapel since the publication of the book The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown and the release of the film starring Tom Hanks and Audrey Tatou. Visitors have been flocking to visit from all parts of the world.
It is possible either to have a guided tour of the chapel or to explore at leisure - either way there is a vast amount of carvings and symbolisim to be discovered inside.
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