Rosslyn Chapel, Roslin, United Kingdom

Rosslyn Chapel was founded on a small hill above Roslin Glen in the mid-15th century. The chapel was founded by William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness of the Scoto-Norman Sinclair family.

After the Scottish Reformation (1560), Roman Catholic worship in the chapel was brought to an end, although the Sinclair family continued to be Roman Catholics until the early 18th century. From that time the chapel was closed to public worship until 1861, when it was opened again as a place of worship according to the rites of the Scottish Episcopal Church, a member church of the Anglican Communion.

Since the late 1980s, the chapel has also featured in speculative theories concerning a connection of Freemasonry, the Knights Templar and the Holy Grail. It was prominently featured in the 2003 bestselling novel The Da Vinci Code and its 2006 film adaptation. Numerous books were published after 2003 to cater to the popular interest in supposed connections generated by Brown's novel. The chapel, built 150 years after the dissolution of the Knights Templar, supposedly has many Templar symbols.

Rosslyn Chapel remains privately owned. The current owner is Peter St Clair-Erskine, 7th Earl of Rosslyn.

References:

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User Reviews

Shane Elkins (6 years ago)
Absolutely amazing! The visitors center houses several multi-media experiences. It is one of the best I've seen. Take your time and watch the various videos and interactive consoles then your the Chapel. You could doensca lifetime and not uncover all it's secrets.

Samantha Davies (6 years ago)
Excellent commentary by Maureen! Really interesting and enjoyable. If you're in the area, I would definitely recommend going to have a look. Great coffee shop with reasonably priced food and drinks. Also reasonably priced gifts and memorabilia.

Shannon Stellhorn (6 years ago)
I agree that this is a lovely chapel outside of Edinburgh, but I don’t see the huge enchantment and pull for people to recommend coming here over other things. It’s a small chapel, with a beautiful exterior/interior and full of history. Happy we went, but wouldn’t have wanted to do this over other things in the area.

Niall Purdie (6 years ago)
Magical, Beautiful, Stunning. I could have spent days in here. I became a life member. Read the book by the Earl of Rosslyn. Truly fascinating and very well written. Wonderful friendly and knowledgeable staff. If you are visiting Scotland you cannot miss Rosslyn Chapel.

John Inglis (6 years ago)
Unique chapel with a long history. The stone carvings are magnificent. The guide presented a very good summary of the history with some quirky facts. Only 4 stars as photography is banned inside the chapel.

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