Rosslyn Chapel

Rosslyn Chapel (map)
November 1, 2008

Continuing with the trend of beautiful weather on any day I leave the city for a trip, this Saturday featured blue skies, bright sunshine, and autumn colours everywhere. We arrived at the chapel, made famous by Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code (which I haven't read but have heard very mixed reviews about), to find it covered in a big ugly scaffoling! We soon learned that they've built this cover to let the chapel dry out before beginning restoration work. In this day and age when results are expected now and there's always some technology to make that happen, it's refreshing to see people relying on simple patience to get the job done. The great benefit of this giant canopy is we had the opportunity to climb up and walk around the roof of the chapel! This won't be possible in the next two years or so when the scaffolding comes down, so I guess we should consider ourselves lucky.






All the photos are from the outside of the building which, while very nice, is nothing compared to the spectacular interior. I don't have any photos from inside since photography isn't allowed, but you can get an idea of what it's like at http://www.dumdum.co.uk/sphericalvr/rosslyn.htm and http://www.dumdum.co.uk/sphericalvr/alter.htm.

One of the neat things the tour guide brought up is the mix of Christian and pagan symbols in the chapel. Figures like the green men, which represent fertility and connection to nature, can be seen alongside carvings of the birth of Christ. Also very cool is the fact that three plants native to North America have been found among the carvings, suggesting that an ancestor of the family who built the chapel might have crossed the Atlantic before Columbus. (Apparently there is ample proof that Columbus was not the first to travel to the New World... I had no idea!) One of those three plants: the trillium! The guide even mentioned that it's the official flower of Ontario.

Another reason to admire the owners (other than the patient roof drying bit) is that they have refused the many requests of scientists and the like to break into the sealed crypt beneath the chapel, rumoured to contain many Sinclairs buried in armour, the Holy Grail, and a number of other treasures. Not knowing just makes it that much better, doesn't it?

Sorry for the lack of photos. I guess you'll just have to come see it for yourself! Only a short ride south on the #15 Lothian city bus :)

A few more photos at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2176479&l=59edf&id=90402206