Published in Scotland Magazine Issue 36 on 14/12/2007.

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Medieval treasures

John Hannavy embarks on a new series exploring Scotland's many historic churches, abbeys and cathedrals.

Could Dan Brown have had any idea of the effect his brief mention of Rosslyn Chapel in his bestseller The da Vinci Code would have on the little church a few miles south of Edinburgh? In the months following the publication of the book, the number of visitors making their way to the 15th century building grew from a few hundred each summer month, to more than 100,000. The days when a visitor could often enjoy the peace and quiet of the exquisite building alone were, for a time at least, a thing of the past.

Brown’s assertion that Rosslyn Chapel was built by the Knights Templar in 1446 is a key tenet of his book, but is completely without substance. The Templars, as an order, had been suppressed in Scotland more than a century earlier, and St Matthew’s Church Roslin, as it is more correctly known, was built as a secular college, or Collegiate Church. However flimsy Brown’s claim, though, it has brought this remarkable and unique building to the attention of many thousands of people who might otherwise never have heard of it.

One of the most richly decorated of Scotland’s medieval buildings, Rosslyn’s most stunning feature is the ‘Prentice Pillar,’ an ornate masterpiece of stone carving which, according to the stuff of legend, was created by an apprentice while the master mason was away. Well, the master would have had to have been away for a very long time, as this amazing pillar must have taken many months to create. It is, however, just one of the many remarkable treasures.....

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By John Hannavy

Section : Scotland Churches

Page number : 18