Rosslyn Chapel Carvings

The Carvings

Although ostensibly, like other collegiate churches, Rosslyn Chapel was intended as a place of Christian learning, there is much to suggest that Sir William St Clair's intentions were, to say the least, unorthodox.

Although there are many Biblical scenes depicted in the Rosslyn Chapel carvings, it has been remarked how little directly Christian imagery there is. There are scenes such as the Crucifixion, but they are not given any more prominence than the other images. The majority of Biblical scenes relate to the Old Testament rather than the New. In addition, there is Celtic, Norse and even Hermetic and Islamic decoration. If anything, given the preponderance of vegetation and the number of Green Man carvings (over 100), the overriding imagery is pagan. It has been suggested that the intention was to create a kind of sacred grove inside the chapel.

It seems that Sir William intended to create a chapel that represented ALL learning and knowledge, not just exclusively Christian teaching. At that time, even this - the idea that learning of any value existed outside of Christian dogma - would have been deemed heretical. But it fits with what is known of the St Clair family, who seem to have treated all cultures with respect - they are known, for example, to have protected gypsies, at a time when doing so was punishable by death, and to have sponsored pagan plays on their lands. It also fits with the ideals of the Knights Templar, who also sought knowledge and information - practical, spiritual and esoteric - wherever they could find it.

The sheer number of stone carvings - made, like the building itself, from local sandstone - mark the chapel out as unique. Taken together with the care with which Sir William St Clair personally supervised their creation, many have concluded that they are not merely there for decorative or aesthetic reasons, but are part of a grand design intended to convey something of great significance. It is recorded that all the Rosslyn Chapel carvings were first made in wood and submitted to Sir William for approval or modification before being cut in stone (which accounts for the number of carpenters employed on a wholly stone building, as well as the inordinate length of time it took to construct the relatively small chapel). And although there are many images that we would expect to see in a place of worship - scenes from the Bible and (a few) from the life of Christ - there are many more that seem distinctly out of place.

There are also Masonic images, along with Templar symbolism - although according to conventional history the chapel post-dates the end of the Knights Templar by a century and a half, and predates the origins of Freemasonry by a similar period.

There are many Rosslyn Chapel carvings that are clearly of a symbolic nature, but whose meaning is obscure.

The angels on the east wall of the Lady Chapel are making gestures that are clearly symbolic - it is said that they are Masonic.

The chapel also includes a carving of an angel, bound with ropes, suspended upside down. Researcher Andrew Collins has identified this 'fallen angel' as Shemyaza, the leader of the Gregori or 'Watchers' of the strange Book of Enoch. According to legend, Shemyaza was cast out of heaven and suspended upside down between Heaven and Earth in the constellation Orion. Like the fallen angel of Rosslyn, Shemyaza is said to have one eye open and one shut.

Another puzzle surrounds the cubes on the ceiling of the Lady Chapel, which may bear musical notation - but if so, what significance has their tune?

A lot of attention has focussed on the three beautiful and ornate pillars that separate the main body from the Lady Chapel, known as the Mason's Pillar, Journeyman's Pillar, and Apprentice Pillar. The pillars represent, respectively, wisdom, strength and beauty (or life). And of the three, it is the Apprentice Pillar that has attracted most attention.

The pillar represents the Yggdrasil, the World Tree of Norse mythology, as confirmed by the intertwined the serpents - the dragons of Neifelheim - around the base. In this, we can see a residue of the St Clairs' Norse ancestry. The family was of Viking descent, having settled in northern France around 800, some members being among the Norman nobles who came to England with William the Conqueror in 1066. The Scottish St Clairs rejoined their Norse lineage when they married into theEarldom of Orkney (then part of the Kingdom of Norway) in the 14th century.

Want to Know More?...

Buy the Rosslyn Chapel eBook by Temple of Mysteries through Amazon

 Copyright © 2010-2011 www.TempleofMysteries.com on the Rosslyn Chapel Carvings