Rosslyn Chapel was founded by Sir William St Clair in 1446 as a family chapel in the southern outskirts of Edinburgh. Unfortunately, Sir William died before building was completed, so it was up to later generations of the St Clair family to continue construction and reconstruction. Uniquely, none of the original construction used timber – the structure was built and carved solely from stone by skilled craftsmen. Sadly, being a Catholic house of worship, it fell into extreme disrepair during the Reformation in the 1500’s. In Victorian times, after almost 300 years of neglect, restoration began, and the Chapel was finally repaired and rededicated in 1862. Over the next century, however, it became apparent that the intricately carved stonework was in poor condition due to suspect restoration techniques. As a result, an extensive, modern restoration effort had to be undertaken in the 1990’s. Taking well over a decade, the project was completed in 2013 and the Chapel was finally reopened to the public.
You may recognize the name of Rosslyn Chapel from the fame it garnered after being featured in the novel, The Da Vinci Code. In the story, it was purported to be a church of the Knights Templar and the hiding place of the Holy Grail. Neither claim is factually true. But, that didn’t stop the movie version of the novel from being filmed in the Chapel. Though visitors are forbidden from taking pictures inside the Chapel, you can see some of the amazing interior stonework if you watch the film.
