A Complete Visitor’s Guide to Rosslyn Chapel

Dan Brown may have brought this chapel into popular culture 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 with people for decades.

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. The Sinclairs did what many wealthy families did – they built the church in hopes of winning points with the guy upstairs. 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.

Rossyln Chapel Mysteries
Though small, the chapel is filled with stunning architecture and sculptures that you normally wouldn’t think would belong. 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. There are literally hundreds of individual figures and scenes, including the Green Man, historically a pagan figure. The vines sprouting from his mouth represent nature’s growth and fertility. Pagan imagery!

You can spend hours looking over all the reliefs, statues, and images. They are fascinating. The most fascinating one is the American maize (corn), which was not discovered at the time this church was built. 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 the 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 over the centuries about what is in the vault, leading many to theorize they are hiding something.

After the “Da Vinci Code” movie, thousands of people came here every day 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 an interesting place to visit. The intricacy of the architecture will leave you captivated and breathless. And when you are finished with the church, you can walk around the surrounding hills and visit ruins of the old castle, which is an equally good treat.

Additionally, the secrecy of the family adds to the mystery. Excavations in the 1800s uncovered foundations stretching a further 30 meters beyond the west end of the Chapel. There is also a hidden chamber below the chapel that the family won’t allow to be visited.

A visit out here is a full day from Edinburgh and one that should not be missed by anyone. You can take a local bus from the city and it will drop you off right in front of the entrance to both the church and castle ruins. Honestly, though it is small, it’s utterly amazing and I spent haours wandering the reliefs and asking questions. The surrounding grounds are also beautiful for a stroll.

How to visit Rosslyn Chapel
This place is open every day of the year except Christmas and New Year’s. Last admission is 30 minutes before closing. Admission is 9 GBP for adults and children are free. There are guided tours throughout the day so you can ask lots of questions. You can take bus 37 or 40 from Edinburgh to get to the chapel. Depending on traffic, it takes 45 to 60 minutes.

Book Your Trip to Edinburgh: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight to Edinburgh by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines. Start with Momondo.

Book Your Acommodation
You can book your hostel in Edinburgh with Hostelworld. If you want to stay elsewhere, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates. (Here’s the proof.)

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. I never ever go on a trip without it. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. You should too.

Need Some Gear?
Check out our resource page for the best companies to use!

Want More Information on Edinburgh?
Be sure to visit our robust destination guide on Edinburgh for even more planning tips!

Photo credit: 2

The post A Complete Visitor’s Guide to Rosslyn Chapel appeared first on Nomadic Matt’s Travel Site.

Source: nomadicmatt.com