Rosslyn Chapel

On Sunday, Katie and I braved the cold and rain to visit the famous and conspiracy-rich Rosslyn Chapel. Located several miles south of Edinburgh, the late-Gothic period structure has garnered much tourism and attention over the years as the location of scenes from both the book and movie, The DaVinci Code. During my first visit to Edinburgh, in 2003, I tried to find a bus to Rosslyn. My friend Justin Morgan had wowed me with tales of its mysteries and relationship with the story of the Holy Grail and Knights Templar. However, I didn’t have much luck locating a bus and had to save an inquiry into its secrets for another day.

Though none of the great intriguing questions were answered, the elaborate and often curious stone carvings in the church’s interior were fascinating to explore. The images depicted came from a wide range of influences: both pagan and religious, peaceful and disturbing. There were angels of all types: frolicking, playing instruments, guiding knights to safety and even an upside-down Lucifer falling from Heaven. The allegory of the Seven Deadly Sins was depicted from an archway and a very creepy devil peeked out from the top of a column (see above). There was also a very musty crypt below the church that held Templar stones from a nearby churchyard.

The other treat for the day was driving throught the village of Roslin which is adjacent to the chapel. It was another quaint village much like South Queensferry, but had its own unique Scottish country flavor. Incidentally, Roslin is also the home of Roslin Institute which is famous for cloning Dolley the Sheep in the late 1990s. We drove by the gates and were able to peer down the drive at the modern laboratory buildings which were an interesting juxtaposition with the Scottish countryside and centuries old cottages and cobblestone.