Welcome to the world of Rosslyn Chapel!

Many of you know the chapel through the Da Vinci Code, but she is so much MORE than a tourist destination.

Rosslyn Chapel is a grail in her own right, brimming with historical and spiritual insights. While she honors many spiritual traditions, her unique architecture serves as a primer for the spiritual seeker.

Photos relating to this article may be found in our Galleries section under Templar Photo Tour. We will add photos along the way, so enjoy!

The Chapel was built over 500 years ago and is said to house Templar treasures or even the Holy Grail. Regardless of what treasures may be hidden under the chapel, Rosslyn’s true treasures are found within the chapel and are open to every pilgrim who steps through her north door. Come explore Rosslyn’s treasures and discover some of her ‘not so secret’ secrets!

The original St. Clairs came from Normandy to Scotland with William the Conqueror in 1066 and made alliances with the Scottish Royal house. Sir William Sinclair strategically built Rosslyn Chapel near Roslin Castle in 1446 overlooking a beautiful glen.

It just so happens that the glen below the Chapel is also filled with many legends.
Roslin Glen has seen many bloody battles and turning points in Scottish history. Some say that King Robert the Bruce, William Wallace and their freedom fighters found refuge in Roslin Glen during Scotland’s darkest hours in the late 13th Century. Sinclairs fought along side them. Across the glen from the Chapel along the steep embankment, underbrush conceals Wallace’s Cave. Legends say that during the late 13th Century, Wallace sequestered his men in this cliff-side cave to escape English troops.

The land surrounding the chapel is amazingly diverse and breathtakingly beautiful! Today, the River Esk flows below both the Chapel and the castle ruins.

Several exterior carvings  along with this initiate who is Hoodwinked & Fuller club give testament to possible early Freemasonic practices of the Sinclair Clan.

As we enter the Chapel one cannot help but gaze upwards to the starry vaults! Symbols abound from east to west in fields of daisies, lilies, roses, forget-me-nots and 5 pointed stars.

In the south aisle, carvings of corn beg the question of how a plant indigenous to the Americas could find its way into a Scottish chapel fifty years before Columbus discovered North America.

The only writing carved in the stones of the chapel comes from the Bible in Esdras 3:10-12, when King Darius gives Zerubbabel permission to rebuild the Jerusalem Temple which says… “Wine is strong, the King is stronger, Women are stronger still, but Truth conquers all!”

Along the north Aisle we find dragons, the Pascal Lamb and King David nestled amongst the Old Testament Prophets. The Pascal Lamb was one of the symbols which the Templars used often, as was the story of King David.

Stairs descend into the lower chapel under the High altar. This structure was built at least a century before the main chapel.

The stone masons lived with their families in this room while working on the upper chapel.

Hiram hovers along the southeastern wall of the lower chapel, while a side chamber currently houses the chapel “infirmary” for broken carvings.

An intriguing armoire now stands in a storage closet next to the lower chapel and is stuffed with buckets and cleaning products. Some say that it is carved of Egyptian Sycamore and may possibly date back to the 15th Century.

Like so many other aspects of the chapel, furniture experts don’t know what to do with it because it does not fit into any genre or period that they are familiar with. The theme focuses on the sun rising under the constellations that form the royal arch of the constellations of the zodiac, the creation story in the Bible, and ancient Hebrew legends.

Aaron is shown as protector of the Hebrew Law, while Shekhinah (the ancient Hebrew goddess) represents the beauty of the Natural world. Aaron’s head supports a basket of grapes, as symbol of the sacred vital forces that flow through the blood. Shekhinah’s head holds a basket of apples from the Tree of Life. A carving of Libra and her scales of justice adorn the top of the cabinet.

Facing east, from the center of the chapel, the three pillars just behind the altar for the masses, form the curtain entrance to the middle court.

The Apprentice Pillar bears the story of the how the master craftsman murdered the gifted apprentice out of jealousy. But at a deeper level, this pillar represents the beauty of the creative forces in the universe. Out of the base of the helix spiral churn eight serpents (the ancient Scandinavian symbol for life force in nature). A cable emerges from the entangled serpents as the vine that winds its way throughout the chapel in incredible ways! The Apprentice Pillar capital is laden with Fleur-de-lis, denoting the Sinclair Norman lineage and pomegranates, the symbol of fertility.

The Fellow’s pillar denotes the strength needed to complete the Great Work. Its capital gives the feeling of the sturdy texture of tree branches.

Just above the Fellow’s capital, a skull sings along with an angel playing a lute.

As we pause at our last image in part 1 of our tour of Rosslyn Chapel, we are reminded of the straight and vertical path of the Master’s pillar. Wisdom is the product of the candidate’s labors. The mason returns to the northeast corner of the chapel to complete his tasks through right action, thought and intention.