{"id":8974,"date":"2018-01-16T09:00:32","date_gmt":"2018-01-16T14:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/snappingtheglobe.com\/?p=8974"},"modified":"2018-01-25T20:20:14","modified_gmt":"2018-01-26T01:20:14","slug":"home-of-the-holy-grail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snappingtheglobe.com\/?p=8974","title":{"rendered":"Home of the Holy Grail?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a9 2018 Snapping the Globe, L.L.C. All rights reserved<\/i>.<\/p>\n

The Holy Grail.<\/p>\n

You’ve heard of it.<\/p>\n

No, not Monty Python’s version…the real legend that tells of the fabled Knights Templar and their treasure.<\/p>\n

Depending on whom you ask, that treasure…the Holy Grail…might be sacred scrolls from the time of Christ, a fragment of the cross on which he died or even his embalmed head.<\/p>\n

So, where is this fabled treasure located?\u00a0 Many claim that it is located in a sealed vault within Rosslyn Chapel, in the village of Roslin, Midlothian, Scotland.<\/p>\n

Having read many of Dan Brown’s works, I had also visited Saint Sulpice church in Paris, which was featured in his bestselling book, the DaVinci Code.\u00a0 A fascinating piece of literature, I was also enthralled with the setting at the end of the book, Rosslyn Chapel.<\/p>\n

Discovering that the chapel was a short bus ride from Edinburgh, we decided to forego our naps and head over to this mid-15th century edifice.<\/p>\n

Entering the new state of the art visitor center, we learned of the chapel’s story, from its origins, through the Reformation to the recent DaVinci Code association.\u00a0 Accessing the courtyard, the chapel loomed before us in the beautiful, sunny afternoon.<\/p>\n

\"\"A most breathtaking structure, its architecture is considered to be amongst the finest in the country.\u00a0 Construction began on the chapel, formerly known as the Collegiate Chapel of St. Matthew,\u00a0 in 1456, by William Sinclair, the First Earl of Caithness for worship by the Sinclair family.\u00a0 After the Scottish Reformation in 1560, Roman Catholic worship in the chapel ended.\u00a0 It was then closed to public worship until 1861, and then opened again according to the rites of the Scottish Episcopal Church.<\/p>\n

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\"\"Circling the church, we admired and photographed the carvings on all of the chapel’s outer walls.\u00a0 Though some are harder to distinguish than others, it was easy to pick out a fox running off with a goose (with the farmer’s wife close behind) on the north wall and faces carved into the window arches along with animals such as a stag and a ram.\u00a0 The west wall shows how the chapel was originally intended to be a much bigger building with doorways, which would have led to a nave (now blocked) and other features not normally found on exterior walls (as this was not planned to be one).<\/p>\n

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\"\"Once I stepped into the structure, however, nothing had prepared me for what spread out before me.\u00a0 Easy to understand how this magnificent formation caught the attention of Dan Brown, it is filled with mysterious carvings with a multitude of religious influences…Christian, Jewish, Egyptian, Masonic and Pagan.<\/p>\n

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\"\"Eight Nordic dragons ring the base of an ornate pillar and more than 110 carvings of pagan deities known as Green Men can be found throughout the chapel.\u00a0 These human faces are surrounded by greenery, often growing out of their mouths.\u00a0 One arch depicts figures waltzing with their future skeletons and a double humped camel and bunches of maize can be spotted, both not found in Scotland.\u00a0 Stories from both the New Testament and the Old Testament are illustrated as well as 213 cubes protruding from pillars and arches with patterns on them.\u00a0 It is speculated that these patterns may have meaning, some thinking it is a musical score.\u00a0 Though there is much conjecture about the carvings and their meanings, not much is known as several fires at the nearby Rosslyn Castle consumed much of the St. Clair family’s archives and documentation on the chapel.<\/p>\n

\"\"Originally planned in a cruciform shape, the chapel stands on fourteen pillars.\u00a0 The three pillars at the east end of the chapel, the Journeyman Pillar, the Master Pillar and the Apprentice Pillar all date from the Georgian period.\u00a0 The most interesting of the three, the Apprentice Pillar has a most intriguing legend attached to it.\u00a0 The master mason had decided the pillar to be too difficult to carve and had departed to Italy to study with other masons.\u00a0 His apprentice, however, decided to carve the pillar in his absence. When the master mason returned and saw the outstanding work, he killed the apprentice with his mallet.\u00a0 The wounded head of the apprentice was then carved into one capital of the pillar and his weeping mother was carved into another.<\/p>\n

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As we listened to the guide tell us about the symbolism throughout the church, it was hard to obey the no photography rule.\u00a0 We gazed around in wonder, eventually, helping to hide each other’s attempts to secretly capture some of the chapel’s beauty.<\/p>\n

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\"\"Descending into the sacristy, we were aware that it is also known as the crypt, though not the actual burial vault that lies underneath the chapel where several generations of Sinclairs rest.\u00a0 The actual crypt was once accessible from a descending stair at the rear of the building, however, it was sealed shut many years ago.\u00a0 Legends have resulted from the knowledge of this sealed crypt, many believing that it was a front for a more extensive subterranean vault which may have contained the reputed Templar treasure.\u00a0 In 1837, when the 2nd Earl of Rosslyn passed away, his wish was to be buried in the original vault.\u00a0 Though searches were conducted for many days, no entrance was found and he was buried beside his wife in the Lady Chapel.<\/sup><\/p>\n

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\"\"The chapel, still owned by descendants of its founder, Sir William St. Clair is now guided by a trust that oversees the site.\u00a0 It is this trust that forbids the photography within the building.\u00a0 Several books are for sale within the gift shop offering a look at the unique interior published by the trust.\u00a0 Though photography is banned, other tourists were also spotted sneaking photos throughout their visit.\u00a0 After inquiring about the organ, we were allowed to photograph the area as this was not part of the original building.<\/p>\n

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Truly a spectacular work, the Rosslyn Chapel exceeded my expectations. Over the years, its beauty and ornate medieval stonework have attracted,\u00a0exhilarated and captivated visitors and artists.\u00a0 In fact, tourism has grown markedly, especially since the release of the DaVinci Code.\u00a0 2017, was a record breaking year, with over 181,700 paying visitors and will surely continue to inspire visitors throughout the years to come.<\/p>\n

For more pictures, check out Facebook, Snapping the Globe and Instagram, @snappingtheglobe.<\/p>\n

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Rosslyn Chapel<\/strong><\/p>\n