Rosslyn Chapel (Midlothian County, Scotland, United Kingdom)

We had been in the great city of Edinburgh, Scotland for the past couple of days. Our experience had been amazing. We had enjoyed some wonderful cuisine (I enjoyed haggis quite a lot) and visited some amazing sites, including a tour of the mighty Edinburgh Castle, defender of Scotland. The only struggle we really had in this beautifully old country was driving around. Adjusting to the driver sitting on the right side of the car, while driving on the left side of the road was quite challenging. Now though, it was time to test that driving skill once again, as we head out towards the highlands, stopping at a couple of sites along our way to Grantown-on-Spey.

Our stop sits about seven miles south of Edinburgh in Roslin Glen. Construction started on the now-famous Rosslyn Glen, which featured prominently in Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code” and its movie adaption, in 1456 and was never completed, at least to the original plan. The chapel is only about one third of its planned size. No one is sure why construction was never completed, but the most obvious answer is money or the lack there of. 

Even in its incomplete state though, the chapel is an architectural marvel to behold. The masonry work both inside and out is of the highest artistic level to be seen in buildings from this period. The inside of the chapel is supported by fourteen pillars, including the “Master Pillar” and the “Prentice Pillar”. The story surrounding these two pillars tells of a master mason having completed the first and then traveling Europe for inspiration for the second. In his absence, one of his apprentices took it upon himself to create the later and in such a way as to overshadow his master’s work. The “Prentice Pillar” contains a representation of the Yggdrasil from Norse mythology. Upon his return and seeing the work, the master murdered his apprentice in a jealous rage. The master was later executed for the murder and their representations sit in the chapel; the master’s forever gazing upon the skilled labor of his apprentice.

Cultural references in the stone work do not end with Norse mythology. There are numerous sculptures in the structure representing a myriad of different cultures, mythologies, and religions. One of the most peculiar is the framing of a window by some type of seed cone, which very closely resemble cobs of corn. This is strange since corn was native to the Americas, which would not be visited by Columbus for another 30+ years.

While no pictures are allowed inside the chapel, a very knowledgeable tour guide gave a very informative lecture concerning various aspects of the chapel. It was quite enjoyable and left us to ponder the structure’s amazing history.