Rosslyn Chapel

This weekend we made our way down the road to Roslin, home of Rosslyn Chapel. Featured in the The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown, the chapel dates back to the 15th century and features amazing stone carvings within the church and distinct architecture throughout. We enjoyed studying the array of carvings and listening to a talk about the history of this intimate church. During the talk it was noted that prior to the publication of The Da Vinci Code, the chapel received approximately 25-30,000 visitors per year.  Following the success of the book and film, visitor traffic increased to 140,000 per year.  Rosslyn Chapel is a working church offering a variety of weekly services.  In a strange collision of old and new worlds, two minutes down the road from Rosslyn was an IKEA, a Costco and a 24 hour grocery store.  We went to IKEA afterwards, but I didn't take any pictures.

Side view of the entrance.

View of the roof line. Scaffolding again?!

Photos are not allowed inside, but the Rosslyn Chapel website has photos of some noteworthy carvings. I have included descriptions from the website as well.

Angel playing bagpipes. The carved angels in the Lady Chapel are celebrating Christ’s birth with music. Bagpipes first appeared in Scotland from the mid-1400s and this is thought to be one of the earliest depictions of the instrument.

Carvings of Indian maize. The presence of this plant carving in the Chapel raises many questions: not only is it an exotic plant but it originates from North America, a country traditionally thought to have been discovered by Columbus in 1492, almost 50 years after Rosslyn Chapel was built.

The "Green Man". A pagan figure, the vines sprouting from his mouth represent nature's growth and fertility, illustrating the unity between humankind and nature.

Knight on Horseback -William is said to have brought a portion of the True Cross or ‘Holy Rood’ to Scotland. An alternative theory is that the figure holding a cross behind the knight may represent Queen Margaret whom William escorted from Hungary to marry Malcolm Canmore, King of Scotland, in 1070.

The Apprentice Pillar. This pillar contains one of the most famous and fascinating riddles of the building. An apprentice mason is said to have carved the pillar, inspired by a dream, in his master's absence. On seeing the magnificent achievement on his return, the master mason flew into a jealous rage and struck the apprentice, killing him outright.

exterior carvings

A little video station with stories about the history of Rosslyn Chapel