Rosslyn Chapel and the Sinclair Connection
Rosslyn Chapel, near the village of Roslin in Midlothian, Scotland, is one of the most famous medieval buildings in the world, and one of the most enigmatic. Built in the fifteenth century by the Sinclair family, the chapel is famous for the extraordinary richness of its stone carving, for the mystery of its symbolism, and for the legends that connect it to the Knights Templar and to the Holy Grail. The chapel has been the subject of countless books, documentaries, and conspiracy theories, and it remains one of the great mysteries of medieval architecture.
This cluster page examines the chapel and the legends that have grown up around it. It is a companion to the modern legacy pillar page and to the article on Templar mythology.
The History of Rosslyn Chapel
Rosslyn Chapel was founded by William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness (c. 1410–1484), a member of the powerful Sinclair family of Scotland. The chapel was begun in 1446 and was still incomplete at the time of William’s death in 1484. Work on the chapel was continued by his descendants, and the chapel was never fully completed.
The Sinclair family had close ties to the crown of Scotland. Henry Sinclair (c. 1345–1404), the great-grandfather of the chapel’s founder, was a major nobleman who had supported Robert the Bruce in the Scottish Wars of Independence. Later Sinclairs were also prominent in Scottish politics, and the family was a major patron of religious houses in Scotland.
The chapel was built as a private chapel for the Sinclair family, and it was not a parish church. The chapel is dedicated to St. Matthew the Apostle, and it was intended to be a place of prayer and burial for the Sinclair family.
The Architecture
Rosslyn Chapel is famous for the extraordinary richness of its stone carving. The chapel is built in the Late Perpendicular Gothic style, and it is one of the finest examples of the style in Scotland. The chapel is decorated with:
- Carved capitals in the choir, including depictions of biblical scenes, mythological figures, and grotesque creatures.
- Flying buttresses and pinnacles on the exterior.
- A stunning series of carved figures in the chapel’s interior, including depictions of the Seven Deadly Sins, the Seven Acts of Mercy, and the Dance of Death.
- Carvings of plants and animals, including representations of corn (maize), which was unknown in Europe at the time the chapel was built.
- A famous “Apprentice Pillar”, a remarkable spiral column that is one of the most famous pieces of medieval stone carving in Scotland.
The chapel’s symbolism is exceptionally rich, and it has been the subject of intense study. Some of the carvings appear to depict pagan and pre-Christian themes, including representations of Celtic and Egyptian mythology, leading to speculation about the chapel’s connections to ancient mysteries.
The Templar Connection
The connection between Rosslyn Chapel and the Knights Templar is one of the most popular and persistent elements of the modern Templar mythology. According to the legend:
- After the suppression of the Templars in 1312, a small group of surviving brothers fled to Scotland, where they were given refuge by Robert the Bruce, who was at war with the English king Edward II (whose father had been a major opponent of the Templars).
- The Templars were given protection by the Sinclair family, who held lands in northern Scotland.
- The Templars, with the support of the Sinclairs, founded a small settlement near Rosslyn, and they began to build a chapel.
- The chapel, which was begun in the 15th century by the Sinclairs, was in fact a continuation of the Templar chapel, and it contains hidden symbols of the Templar Order and of the Holy Grail.
The legend has been popularized in a number of books and documentaries, including the 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown and the 2006 documentary The Rosslyn Grail. The chapel is now a major tourist destination, with tens of thousands of visitors each year.
The Historical Evidence
The historical evidence for the Templar connection to Rosslyn Chapel is thin. There is no documentary evidence that the Templars ever held land near Rosslyn, or that the Sinclairs ever gave refuge to surviving Templars. The chapel was built almost a century and a half after the suppression of the Templars, and there is no evidence that it was conceived as a continuation of any earlier Templar building.
Several specific claims about the chapel have been made:
- The carvings of maize: Some have claimed that the presence of carvings of maize (a New World plant) on the chapel is evidence of pre-Columbian contact. The carvings are now thought to be of Indian corn, but maize was unknown in Europe in the 15th century. Recent analysis suggests that the “maize” carvings were added to the chapel in the 16th or 17th century.
- The Apprentice Pillar: According to legend, the pillar was carved by an apprentice who went to Rome to see the original, and who was killed by a jealous master mason before he could complete the work. There is no historical evidence for this story.
- The Templar gravestones: Some have claimed that the chapel contains Templar gravestones or inscriptions. The inscriptions in the chapel are now known to be the names of saints and biblical figures, not Templar symbols.
The legend of the Templars’ flight to Scotland is examined in the modern legacy pillar page and in Templar Mythology, Symbolism and Hidden Knowledge.
The Holy Grail Connection
The connection between Rosslyn Chapel and the Holy Grail is another popular element of the modern mythology. According to the legend, the chapel is a “Grail Castle” in the sense of the medieval Grail romances, and it contains a hidden vault in which the Holy Grail is preserved.
The legend was popularized by two books published in 1982: The Rosslyn Grail by Andrew Sinclair and The Rosslyn Hoax by Roger J. Housden. Both books claim that the chapel contains a hidden vault in which the Holy Grail is preserved. The legend was further popularized by Dan Brown’s 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code, in which a portion of the action takes place in Scotland.
There is no historical evidence for the presence of a hidden vault or the Holy Grail in the chapel. The chapel’s most recent major survey, conducted in 2005, found no evidence of a hidden vault.
For the broader story of the Holy Grail and the Templars, see Templar Mythology, Symbolism and Hidden Knowledge.
The Modern History of the Chapel
Rosslyn Chapel passed out of the Sinclair family’s hands in the seventeenth century, after the Battle of Bothwell Bridge (1679) and the subsequent persecution of the Covenanters. The chapel was abandoned and fell into disrepair. In the nineteenth century, the chapel was rediscovered by antiquaries and began to attract visitors.
In the twentieth century, the chapel was restored by the Rosslyn Chapel Trust, a charitable organization that was established in 1945. The trust has carried out extensive conservation work, and the chapel is now a major tourist destination.
The chapel was featured in the 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, and in the 2006 film adaptation starring Tom Hanks. The chapel has since become one of the most popular tourist destinations in Scotland, with tens of thousands of visitors each year.
Visiting Rosslyn Chapel
Rosslyn Chapel is located in the village of Roslin, about 7 miles south of Edinburgh. The chapel is open to the public for visits, and it is a major tourist destination. The chapel is a Historic Environment Scotland property, and it is a Category A listed building.
The chapel can be visited by guided tour, and visitors are encouraged to take time to examine the extraordinary stone carving. The chapel’s visitor center offers a wealth of information about the chapel’s history, architecture, and legends.
Conclusion
Rosslyn Chapel is one of the most enigmatic and fascinating buildings of the medieval world. The extraordinary richness of its stone carving, the mystery of its symbolism, and the legends that have grown up around it have made the chapel a focus of intense interest from scholars, from tourists, and from those who believe in the modern mythology of the Order. Whether or not the chapel has any real connection to the Knights Templar, it is one of the great masterpieces of medieval architecture, and it is a major part of the modern legacy of the Order.