One of my favourite chapels in Scotland lies just 40 minutes outside of Edinburgh city centre. Surrounded by intrigue (home of the holy grail? history of Knights Templar? murder? ghosts?) and recently made famous by a certain novel (which has allowed for some fantastic restoration work), Rosslyn Chapel has it all.
It's one of the most ornately carved chapels, both inside and out. I love the gargoyles that flank the entrance. They seem much more ominous in the winter time when the sky is overcast.
I wore my me-made 1940 McCall hooded dress, with my Ness beret and wellies. It seemed a perfect pop of colour for such a grey day!
Here are some pictures of the inside of the chapel and all the amazing carvings:
The famous 'green man' carving:
Everywhere you look, there is a surprise:
The legend has it that there was a master stonemason who was carving the pillars of the chapel. He decided to travel abroad to get inspiration and materials, leaving his apprentice in charge. The apprentice, who was just a wee lad, had a dream about an ornately carved pillar. When he awoke, he set out to replicate what he saw in his dream resulting in the most talked about set of carvings of the time period. When the stonemason returned, he became enraged and jealous that his apprentice outshined him and legend has it, he murdered the apprentice in the chapel.
The apprentice pillar:
Many people believe that the holy grail at one point resided in the chapel and that many other Knights Templar treasures may still exist somewhere within the chapel walls.
Building on the chapel begun in 1446 and it has remained in the possession of the same family for its entire history (the St. Claire family).
The side of the chapel, with it's beautifully carved window:
There are a few gravestones and memorials in the chapel yard:
Overall, a fabulous (but windy) day, which caught me by surprise more than once! hahahaha
Have you been to Rosslyn Chapel? Do you love mysterious stories from historic monuments?
