Source: “Rosslyn: The Story Behind Rosslyn Chapel” By Andrew Sinclair, 2005
Chapel Of the Grail And An Eden In Stone.wav
This podcast explores the rich symbolism and historical context of Rosslyn Chapel, particularly emphasizing the vision of its builder, Earl William St Clair, and the diverse influences that shaped its design. It highlights how the chapel served as both a reflection of contemporary European religious and artistic trends, including Crusader and Masonic symbolism, and a unique "Herbal in stone," depicting a vast array of plants with medicinal and theological meanings. The text also touches upon the connections between Rosslyn and other medieval Scottish sites like Melrose Abbey, suggesting a shared pool of master masons and knowledge.
Topic 1 This topic details the construction of Rosslyn Chapel and Castle under the direction of William, Earl of Orkney. It highlights his role as the designer and the significant resources he invested, employing large numbers of workmen, including artificers brought from foreign regions. The construction period spanned thirty-four years during which a great number of masons, carpenters, smiths, barrowmen, and quarriers were consistently employed. The Earl also utilized these craftsmen to strengthen the castle structure, adding features like a chapel within the walls, the Robin Hood and Little John towers, and a bridge. French architectural features such as galleries, projecting chambers, and turrets were incorporated into the castle, noted as ornaments suitable for his second wife, who was held in high esteem and known as 'the Princess'. The text mentions a fire in 1447 that damaged part of the castle, leading to rebuilding, though the Earl's valuable papers were saved. The reliance on foreign masons and sophisticated continental construction methods, including sacred geometry, is emphasized, suggesting the masons were trained in advanced techniques. The division between operative and speculative masons within the crafts and guilds is also mentioned, with the different roles and wages of master masons, 'free' masons, and other workers like smiths and carpenters being described. Earl William acted as his own director of works, providing detailed draughts carved into boards for the carpenters and masons to follow.
Topic 2 The source explores the complex symbolism embedded within Rosslyn Chapel, particularly focusing on its design as a Temple of Solomon and a Grail chapel. Earl William St Clair intended the chapel to be planned based on ideas from medieval romances, specifically the Chapel of the Grail as pictured in Norman romance and potentially the Chapel Perilous. The text notes the presence of many signs associated with the Knights Templars, who are linked to the Grail in literature. Symbols like the stone dove and crescent Grail on the roof are highlighted. Furthermore, the design of the 'Apprentice' Pillar is described as having Byzantine and Near-Eastern influences, similar to a column in a Templar church in Portugal. Its base features eight octagonal winged serpents surrounding a structure representing the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, linking to Gnostic myth. The winged serpent is interpreted as Lucifer but also secret wisdom associated with Cathars and Templars. The pillar's four carved strands are possibly a nod to the Four Gospels. The Temple of Solomon connection is reinforced by the mention of King Solomon building his temple using the Shamir, a fiery worm or serpent of wisdom that shaped stone without iron tools, a secret associated with Hiram, the Temple's architect and a figure in Masonic tradition. The eight Great Worms at the pillar's base are linked to the Shamir and the shape and points of the Cross of the Knights of the Order of the Temple of Solomon.
Topic 3 This topic delves into the legend surrounding the 'Apprentice' Pillar, particularly the story of the Apprentice who supposedly carved it and was killed by his Master Mason. The source suggests this legend may be a Christian cover story for the story of Hiram, the martyred builder of the Temple of Solomon, linking it to the founding of the Order of the Temple of Solomon and Masonry itself. The carving on the stone head, often associated with the Apprentice's wound, is speculated to potentially represent Hiram or other figures such as the beheaded St John the Baptist or an ancestor, Sanctus Clarus. A more likely candidate for the split brow carving is proposed to be St Magnus of Orkney, a martyred saint and ancestor of the Templar Earls of Orkney, whose death mirrored Hiram's and was beatified. Alternatively, it could represent Prince Henry 'the Holy' St Clair, Earl William's grandfather, who was struck down in combat. The source notes that the original name of the pillar was the Prince's Pillar, suggesting the Apprentice legend is a later Masonic myth. Additionally, the possibility that the gash on the stone head was caused by damage from Puritan cavalrymen during the Civil War, who defaced Catholic monuments, is also mentioned.
Topic 4 The source discusses the possibility that Rosslyn Chapel holds significant religious or Templar treasures in its vaults. Earl William's potential motivation for building a Grail chapel is linked to whether he had a deep library knowledge or if he physically possessed and stored treasures as a keeper of royal and Templar artifacts. These potential treasures include jewelled reliquaries that might have contained the Body and Blood of Christ, specifically mentioning the Holy Rood and vessels holding the Holy Shroud and Holy Veil, potentially seized during the sack of Constantinople. The belief that the Templars excavated beneath the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and found the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy of Holies, secreted by ancient Israelite priests, is also presented as a possible source for treasures held at Rosslyn. The author's personal exploration of a side vault revealed remnants of wooden coffins but found the way to lower levels blocked by masonry. Descriptions from 1693 mention polished ashlar vaults divided into compartments, potentially holding the buried St Clair knights in full armour, as recounted by Sir Walter Scott and Father Hay. The source notes that if holy treasures were hidden in the vaults, they must have been walled out of reach during the Reformation. The Kirkwall Scroll is mentioned as a document from Earl William's scriptorium that depicts a ground plan of Rosslyn Chapel and the Temple of Solomon, showing the Ark of the Covenant and Holy of Holies in underground chambers at Rosslyn, suggesting the idea was more of a wish-fulfilment or symbolic representation than a literal map.
Topic 5 Earl William St Clair's background, character, and influences are discussed as key to understanding the mysteries of Rosslyn Chapel. He is described as a man of "rare parts" with a noble mind, a "perceing witt," and capable of managing great affairs. He was renowned for his moral virtue, piety, and military discipline, enjoying high favour with his Prince and holding significant dignities. As a "latter-day King Solomon," he was particularly noted for his concern with justice and mercy, opposing the use of torture (the rack) which was common in his era. His European connections are highlighted through his frequent visits to France and Burgundy and his membership in prestigious orders: the Knights of the Cockle and the Knights of the Golden Fleece. These orders were dedicated to a final crusade to recapture Constantinople and Jerusalem. The insignia of the Cockle, referring to the pilgrim clamshell, is reproduced in the chapel. He also wore medals of St Michael and St James, associating him with crusading orders like the Knights of Santiago who fought alongside Templars. His role as director of works for the chapel, despite being an Earl, demonstrates his hands-on involvement in the design and construction, drawing on his learning and the European influences of his time.
Topic 6 The source elaborates on the European influences on Rosslyn Chapel's architecture and design, linking it to late medieval styles and specific buildings. The chapel is compared to Burgundian churches of the Cistercian Order and the nearby Melrose Abbey. Architectural features mentioned include ribbed vaults above the altar and barrel vaulting supporting a unique stone carved roof. Ornate decorations are noted as possibly deriving from churches in France, specifically the Church of Rome near Abbeville, the Porch at Louviers in Normandy, and the Savoy Mausoleum in Bresse, where Flemish sculptors may have worked before coming to Rosslyn. The influence of Jean Morow, a master builder at Melrose Abbey, is suggested through his "compagnonnages" (associations of European masons) and the exuberance of carvings found there, such as poppies, roses, Moor's heads, devil's masks, and Green Men, which resemble the profuse ornamentation at Rosslyn. The close ties between the crusading St Clairs and the Cistercians are mentioned. The architectural style at the end of the Middle Ages is characterized by flamboyant Gothic replacing Norman starkness, with a move towards luxuriant imagination and detailed expression of ideals, as described by Huizinga in relation to the decline of the aristocratic age and the Knights of the Golden Fleece.
Topic 7 This topic focuses on the tradition of labyrinthine or maze patterns on church floors and the performance of ritual dances, specifically linking this to Rosslyn Chapel. The source suggests that Earl William likely laid down a maze-like pavement, possibly a wheel or octagon, under three of the four spoked roof vaultings behind the altar, similar to mazes found in Amiens and Reims Cathedrals. This practice aligns with the tradition of maze dances flourishing across Scandinavia, where a religious leader or laird would guide believers through the maze. It is proposed that the rite of the Armed Man Mass, developed in Burgundy and France and possibly danced over decorated tiles in northern European cathedrals, was performed at Rosslyn. The source notes that Guillaume de Marchaut's Mass of the Armed Man was performed in Scotland until the Reformation in 1550, making its performance at Rosslyn highly probable. The final part of the dance at Rosslyn was potentially Scottish folk dances over crossed swords, performed under the central bosses behind the altar, possibly relating to Morris or Moorish dances brought by gypsy armourers welcomed at Roslin. While 18th-century flagstones now cover the floor behind the altar, the ceiling carvings, showing musical notes on stars and lozenges, are interpreted as representing a head view of such a ritual dance once performed on the lost floor tiles below.
Topic 8 Rosslyn Chapel is interpreted as a stone representation of a Garden of Eden or a medieval Herbal, reflecting the plants and symbolism found in monastic physic gardens. The source argues that Earl William intended to build a paradise in stone, drawing on Norse and Norman influences and ancient fertility cults that infiltrated Gothic cathedrals. The many Green Men carvings in the chapel, associated with the serpent/dragon of wisdom, the Tree of Life, and the cycle of life and death, support this interpretation. Each plant and leaf carving in the chapel (over seventy types identified) is said to have specific significance, representing either Christian faith, a virtue, or a divine lesson. Examples include the lily for the Virgin Mary, the iris/fleur-de-lys for Christ's side wound and royal lineage, trefoil for the Trinity, and wild pinks for Christ's nails. The chapel is described as a "walled garden," a "secret place" enclosing Old and New Testament mysteries. It is presented as a "graven guide to the Bible" through a walled paradise in stone and a record of the divine garden before the Renaissance. The carvings are contemporary with woodcuts in early herbals like Hortus Sanitatus, showing startling correspondences. The walls are seen as a "healing garden" and represent "botany before the Tudors" and "remedy before the beginning of modern medicine." The inclusion of carvings of plants from the Americas (Indian corn and aloe cactus) is seen as evidence supporting the idea that Earl Henry St Clair, Earl William's grandfather, might have visited the New World.
Topic 9 This topic examines the influence of classical and especially Islamic medicine and botany on medieval Europe, which is relevant to understanding Rosslyn Chapel as a stone Herbal. After Rome's conquest of Greece, Greek medical knowledge spread, and during the Dark Ages, it was preserved and enriched in the Byzantine and Islamic worlds. For centuries, Arab thinkers like Rhazes, Haly Abbas, and Avicenna, and in the Western Caliphate, Albucasis, Algalzel, Avenzoar, and Moses Maimonides, advanced these studies. Jewish doctors who studied Islamic medicine were instrumental in founding the first secular European medical school at Salerno. The Norman conquest of Sicily facilitated the translation of Greek and Arabic texts into Latin, bringing this knowledge back to Europe. Medieval herbal texts, such as Rufinus's De virtutis herbarium and the Regimen Sanitatis Salernitum (the first European medical and herbal text), show the integration of classical and Islamic learning. Aristotle's methods of observation and experimentation were reintroduced to Europe via Arabic translations, influencing scientists like Roger Bacon and Albertus Magnus, whose encyclopaedia included detailed sections on plants. Crusaders, despite attacking the East, brought back some Islamic learning and techniques, including embalming. Monasteries served as infirmaries and maintained herb gardens, following earlier traditions from nunneries. Texts by St Hildegard and Alexander Neckham detailed plants for monastic gardens, listing many herbs and vegetables. The design of the medieval garden, often a divided quadrangle reflecting the four rivers of Eden, was influenced by Eastern plans brought back by crusaders.
Topic 10 The source details the significance of plants and gardens in the Middle Ages, linking them to religious symbolism, medicine, and the concept of Paradise. It notes the absence of a detailed description of Eden's plants in the Bible but lists biblical mentions of herbs, vegetables, and trees. More exotic trees from the Near East like aloe, ebony, juniper, mastic, olive, sandalwood, and tamarisk are mentioned. Early medieval thought, such as that of Rhabanus Maurus, sometimes restricted cloister gardens to only plants mentioned in the Bible, viewing the garden metaphorically as the Church. The rose's significance grew significantly under Islamic influence, becoming a symbol of the Virgin Mary and valued for its medicinal properties, as noted by Avicenna. The concept of the garden as an enclosed paradise, a "secret place," is highlighted, with the walled garden becoming a symbol of perfect love and a space for prayer and healing through herbs and spices. The design of paradise gardens, often divided into quarters by four rivers from a central fountain, is traced to Hindu, Persian, and Templar traditions, brought back by crusaders. This design became the model for the medieval cloister garden, with channels or paths forming a cross pattern. Excavations of medieval hospitals like Soutra reveal the cultivation of medicinal plants such as opium poppies, hemp, flax, and tormentil, used for anesthesia and other purposes, demonstrating the practical application of herbal knowledge derived from classical, Islamic, and local traditions. The role of the monastic hortulanus (gardener) in supplying food and medicine and the detailed descriptions of desired plants in monastic garden texts further illustrate the importance and symbolism of gardens in the period.