Source: “Rosslyn: The Story Behind Rosslyn Chapel” By Andrew Sinclair, 2005
This podcast explores the rich history and enduring myths surrounding Rosslyn Chapel and Castle, highlighting how romantic poets and writers like Scott, Byron, and Wordsworth contributed to their legendary status, particularly through themes of ruin, forgotten pasts, and mysterious lights. It also delves into the site's connections to Freemasonry and alleged buried treasures, including the fanciful tale of a dormant lady guarding riches in the vaults. Ultimately, the text critiques modern interpretations, especially the claims of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail and The Da Vinci Code, dismissing their fabricated conspiracies and emphasizing that the true treasure of Rosslyn is the chapel's extraordinary beauty and the mystery inherent in its sacred architecture, a theme even echoed in the area's surprising link to genetic discovery.
Topic 1 The source describes the varying physical state of Rosslyn chapel and castle over centuries, detailing periods of severe damage, neglect, and subsequent repair efforts. Following the Glorious Revolution in 1688, both the chapel and castle were thoroughly pillaged. During this time, images and Popish books were burnt, and some were prevented from taking or hurting anything except what belonged to their idolatry. The castle is later described as haggard and utterly dilapidated, a mere wreck of its former self. Some repairs were made due to the penury and resignation of William St Clair. General Sir James St Clair Erskine acquired the estate and, as Grand Master Mason for Scotland between 1810 and 1811, had shattered windows of the chapel reglazed, and the roof somewhat repaired. The original ceramic tile floor with maze patterns was obliterated when it was relaid with flagstones. The ruined castle, however, became even more ruinous. Later, the new Earls of Rosslyn in the Victorian style restored the chapel and refurbished the castle to make it fit to live in, although not for defense.
Topic 2 A significant part of the source discusses how prominent literary figures contributed to the creation and popularization of myths surrounding Rosslyn. Poets like Lord Byron and William Wordsworth, and especially the romancer Sir Walter Scott, are credited with generating these legends through their works. Byron lamented the ruin of the castle, describing it as a "Chaos of ruins" where glories had expired. Wordsworth viewed the desolate chapel as a relic of a past age, noting how silence had replaced the sound of music there, although its structure remained time-proof despite the absence of Christian rites.
Topic 3 Sir Walter Scott's imagination, based on tradition, is highlighted for creating a persistent myth about the chapel in his ballad, 'Dirge of Rosabelle'. This ballad, which appears to preface poems by Edgar Allan Poe, tells the legend that the chapel shone with the mysterious light of the divine spirit whenever a member of the family was about to die. The source quotes verses describing this wondrous blaze, seen over Rosslyn all night, broader than a watch-fire's light and redder than the bright moon-beam. It glared on the castled rock and turned the copse-wood glen ruddy. It was seen from distant locations like Dryden's groves of oak and caverned Hawthornden. The proud Chapel, where Rosslyn's chiefs lay uncoffined in their iron panoply, seemed entirely on fire, both within and around, including the sacristy and altar's pale, every pillar foliage-bound, and even the dead men's mail glimmered. This blazing continued, according to the ballad, whenever fate was nigh the lordly line of high St Clair.
Topic 4 The source connects the St Clairs of Rosslyn to wandering smiths and hammermen. Sir Walter Scott is mentioned again for shedding light on the makers of the armor worn by the legendary burning knights described in his 'Dirge'. Scott noted in his novels that Border travellers, like the Lochmaben gypsies, were welcome at Rosslyn. These gypsies were granted small villages near the ancient castle of Lochmaben since the time of Robert the Bruce and were termed king's rentallers or kindly tenants, having an allodial right to small pieces of ground. These individuals are presented as descendants of wandering smiths and hammermen who fought at Bannockburn and were protected by the St Clairs, who are described as the masters of royal weapons, implying that "Arms maketh the King as well as the man."
Topic 5 During the Victorian restoration by the Earls of Rosslyn, specific architectural and artistic additions were made to the chapel. At the west end, an apse and baptistery were constructed, with an organ chamber situated above. The source notes that this addition defaced the outer aspect of the ragged wall. The stained glass windows installed inside the chapel during this period are described as a testament to the Gothic and Templar revival of that time.
Topic 6 The stained glass windows installed during the Victorian restoration carried symbolic meaning. One window depicted St Longinus, the blind centurion from Grail legends who pierced Christ's side on the Cross and regained his sight from the Saviour's blood. The source notes the curious parallel between this legend and the legend of the original Sanctus Clarus, whose holy water healed eye inflammation. Other new windows featured two warrior saints: St Michael the Archangel and St George, the patron saint of England. St George is presumably a reference to the Union of the two kingdoms, symbolized by the slaying of the dragon of discord. St Michael was the patron saint of the Knights Templars, regarded as the divine messenger bearing the Word between earth and heaven. A fourth figure in stained glass was St Maurice, a blessed soldier beheaded with his Christian soldiers for refusing to worship pagan Roman gods, seen as a reference to Protestant martyrs who rejected Papal authority.
Topic 7 A long-standing connection between the Lairds of Rosslyn and the "Mason's Word" is discussed. A letter from a Dean of Worcester written around 1670 mentioned that the lairds of Rosling had been great architects and patrons of building for many generations and were obliged to receive the Mason's Word. This is described as a secret signal Masons use worldwide to recognize each other. Theories about its origin varied, with some alleging it was as old as Babel, used for communication when languages were confused, while others believed it was no older than Solomon. The Victorian Earls of Rosslyn were noted to have been occasionally elected Grand Masters of both the Scottish Grand Lodges and of revived Templar Orders, reinforcing this connection.
Topic 8 The source details legends concerning hidden treasures within the vaults under the chapel and the castle courtyard. The antiquarian Slezer in his 1693 work, Theatrum Scotiae, claimed that a great treasure amounting to millions lay buried in one of the vaults, guarded by a lady of the ancient St Clair house. This lady, though unfaithful to her trust and long dormant, was said to be awakened by a trumpet sound in one of the lower apartments and would then reveal the treasure's location. A later legend ascribed to tradition suggested that the treasure of the unfortunate Darnley was secreted in the castle and lost. According to a prediction throughout Scotland since the castle's demolition, these immured treasures would only be discovered by a blind person. This was because, like other ancient castles, they were supposedly guarded by an angel lady of such dazzling purity that mortal eyes could not look upon her and live. Consequently, many blind people from across Scotland visited the castle in anticipation of finding this wealth, meticulously examining walls, arches, and fixtures with touch, but without success.
Topic 9 The source heavily critiques modern popular works, particularly "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail" and "The Da Vinci Code," for creating and disseminating bogus myths and conspiracy theories about Rosslyn. "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail" is described as a cult success that, despite containing some original research, associated the St Clairs and the chapel with the unlikely bloodline of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, as well as a bogus organization called the Priory of Sion. This alleged clique included famous historical figures alongside a St Clair. The author of this hoax is identified as Pierre Plantard, who falsely assumed the name de St Clair and had a history of deception and collaboration with the Vichy regime. He, along with Philippe, the Marquis de Cherisey, fabricated "Secret Dossiers" to support the untruth of the Priory of Sion, placing them in French institutions to mislead future authors. These forgeries were linked to an attempt to trace Jesus' ancestry through French royalty to claim a right to the throne. "The Da Vinci Code" is described as a thriller heavily influenced by "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail." Its plot is called preposterous, its message pernicious, and its history a bungle and muddle. The conspiracy it claims about the Priory of Sion is said to have been exploded. The novel's use of Leonardo da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man" is also criticized as a misinterpretation, particularly regarding the pentagram figure, which the source argues has no basis in Leonardo's actual drawing or the symbolism of sacred architecture like the octagon within the circle and square, or the head as a cornerstone. The source concludes that such works heap idiocies upon the beautiful stones of Rosslyn Chapel.
Topic 10 The source explores potential connections between Rosslyn's architecture and the work of Leonardo da Vinci, as well as touching on the broader symbolic meaning attributed to the place. Leonardo is noted for his belief in the octagon, influenced by Vitruvius, and his architectural sketches often featured eight-sided structures, including designs for churches and pavilions. The Double Helix staircase at the château of Chambord, created by Leonardo and later reproduced at Holyrood House, is mentioned as his nearest approach to the secret of life, anticipating the structure of genetics later discovered by Watson and Crick. A curious influence of Leonardo's ideas is suggested not only on the architecture of Rosslyn Chapel but also possibly on the biotechnological laboratory built in the shape of a cross near the village of Roslin, where Dolly the Sheep was cloned. The source posits that if there was a "Da Vinci Code" leading to the Grail, it was cracked there, defining the Grail simply as the grace of God. The search for it is presented as seeking the enigma of Creation. While a medieval scroll suggested the Ark of the Covenant might be buried in the chapel, the source suggests the ground-plan was likely symbolic, not a reality. The St Clairs were historically keepers of royal treasures, possibly including the Holy Rood and perhaps Templar treasures like jeweled containers of the Holy Shroud and Veil. However, the only proven treasure is deemed to be the Chapel of the Grail itself, described as a mystery, a maze, and a puzzle in stone. The source concludes that while one may try to penetrate its heart of light, its full radiance is unattainable, reflecting that all living is an inquiry towards the divine, and Rosslyn is a beginning without end.