Truth carved in stone
ALAN BUTLER AND JOHN RITCHIE
IT IS almost exactly 550 years since the village and burgh of Roslin was born (on 13 June 1456 to be precise), thanks to King James II's charter. And this week, the much-vaunted Hollywood film The Da Vinci Code, based on Dan Brown's much-maligned book of the same name, began to spread moving pictures of Rosslyn Chapel all over the world.
The film may become the year's biggest blockbuster and signal the arrival of thousands more "Da Vinci tourists" to the little Midlothian village where this wondrous chapel is sited. Yet it is but the latest episode in a remarkable history - and merely a further layer of proof that the purpose of its founders, Earl William Sinclair and Sir Gilbert Haye, was to transmit very special knowledge to future generations through the very fabric of the building.
Long before The Da Vinci Code - or indeed before Leonardo da Vinci devised his codex - people visited Rosslyn Chapel and stood amazed at what they saw. The chapel means many things to many people, but that is what creates its essence of mystery. Rosslyn Chapel is such an enigma that its multitudinous carvings can and have been used to back almost any theory that a writer or conspiracist has dreamed up. As a result, whenever a book or a documentary heads towards a disappointing conclusion, the author or film-maker's personal holy grail is suddenly discovered - hidden and on deposit in Rosslyn Chapel's vault. The vault has become the lost property office for every important esoteric artefact known to Christendom and beyond.
It was with this very much in mind that we started writing our book on Rosslyn, to perhaps try to bring truth back into fashion and to use its currency to explain what the chapel was all about.
Modern-day visitors may marvel at the tale Dan Brown had to tell - although, as Brown himself is keen to point out, it is only a story. But what if the truth of Rosslyn Chapel is even more extraordinary than even this very creative author could possibly imagine?
Our approach has been different to that of any other researchers we have seen in print in recent times. Separately and together, we have been looking at the chapel for a long time - in the case of myself (John), for most of my life. We always intended to write our own book about this amazing historical curiosity, but promised ourselves there would be no Knights Templar, no Freemasons, definitely no head of Jesus in the cellar and in fact nothing that would detract from the sheer genius library in stone.
We were well aware that Rosslyn was the university of collegiate churches and our quest was to translate and decipher as many of the chapel's carvings as possible. We wanted it to tell us its own story, not just feature in someone else's book.
We have both worked for years to build up a huge repository of documents containing written evidence about the chapel, and principally about the lives of those who were responsible for its creation. On the way we were introduced to the key figure of Sir Gilbert Haye, one of the most remarkable men ever to grace the history of Scotland, or indeed Europe - and yet a virtually unknown name today.
Haye, a native-born Scot, was one of the first students to receive a Masters degree at the fledgling St Andrews University in 1419 and he was certainly present in Roslin when building work started on the chapel in 1456.
Haye was a confidante of kings and a renowned linguist who could speak at least 16 languages masterfully. He was also an extraordinary bibliophile and a famed translator and writer of books, who personally met some of the most celebrated characters from history such as Joan of Arc and the amazing Rene D'Anjou, flower of medieval chivalry.
As librarian and chamberlain to the French King Charles VII for more than 15 years, Haye travelled the world of his day, searching for and acquiring many rare manuscripts as he built a magnificent literary collection. He even visited far-off Cathay [modern-day China], still virtually a legend at the time.
There can be no doubt that Haye was one of the prime movers in the design and construction of Rosslyn Chapel, or that his vast knowledge complemented that of Earl William Sinclair.
The Earl, third Prince (or Jarl) of Orkney and also the Earl of Caithness, was a man of immense wealth, richer than the King of Scotland. He had a retinue of 100 knights, who ate from solid gold plates while his wife Elizabeth Douglas was attended by ten maids-in-waiting.
In all the histories of Rosslyn, Haye is described as 'tutor' to Earl William's children. However, it defies belief that a man who fraternised with princes and kings and who was one of the most educated and well-travelled men in the world was simply a tutor. In the 15th century, Rosslyn was the centre of a medieval court. Rosslyn Castle, built in French style, and far larger than the remnant which remains today was a centre of learning and worldly power.
It is our belief that Haye was the confidante and personal adviser to the Earl. While some believe Rosslyn Chapel represents Earl William's vision, we believe it was very much a collaboration with Haye. The pair may have first met in 1429, at the coronation of King Charles VII in Reims. Haye, who was knighted by the French King two days after his coronation (giving some idea of his status in European politics) led us to one of the central conclusions of our book - that Rosslyn Chapel is not just the university of collegiate churches, it is also a library in stone and a repository of knowledge.
We can see quite clearly several keys to some of the manuscripts that Gilbert decided to lend to the chapel for its many carvings.
This included books like Alexander's Journey to Paradise, said to be a conversation between Alexander the Great and Aristotle - and the Secreta Sectorum, basically a guide book on how a prince or king should treat his subjects.
At the time that the building of the chapel commenced, Rosslyn's court rivalled Champagne or that of the Medicis. Great scholars were fêted, but the real welcome-mat was spread out for skilled artisans. Rosslyn in the mid-15th century was the place to find the greatest craftsmen in any of the arts in Europe.
A chapel already stood in Rosslyn, but the building created between 1456 and 1496 was to be a building like none other. Earl William was a wealthy man and we know he paid his masons exceptionally well. The prospect of houses in what was to become Roslin village and wages of £10 a year for a master mason brought the finest craftsmen from all over Europe.
Italian, French, Portuguese and Spanish masons gathered in Midlothian to create what became an early Renaissance masterpiece - with secrets and messages still resounding today.
It was within that heady world of chivalry, romance, craftsmanship and religion that we expected to find the origins of the chapel - but another, unexpected door of research opened itself in front of our eyes and what came tumbling out will rival any of the many fanciful tales presently being told about the chapel. However, there is a difference - because the evidence we have amassed is not hearsay, it is provable historical and observable fact.
Myths have been put to flight, and replaced by hard facts. Our book, Rosslyn Revealed, will be published towards the end of this year and in this heady world of sue and counter-sue over intellectual rights, we feel honour-bound not to spill all our secrets just yet.
However, in the spirit of the enigma that is Rosslyn Chapel, it seems only fair to offer a couple of clues.
Clue number one: Why is Rosslyn Chapel dedicated to St Matthew the Apostle?
After all, he does not play a particularly important part in the Gospels and has no relevance at all to the history of churches in Scotland.
Clue number two: Why have we found ourselves so very pleased that the chapel is presently shrouded in a hideous umbrella of steel and why have we been seen hanging from the gantry of this umbrella when the chapel was quiet?
If revelations are your thing, we have them in cartloads and we promise you this: Rosslyn Chapel will turn out to be not simply a historical enigma but perhaps the most important building ever to be conceived or built at one of the most remarkable periods in European history.
Rosslyn Chapel is not simply a book in stone, it is an entire library. But perhaps more importantly, it bears testimony to the long struggle of humanity to free itself from the bonds of tyranny and to send democracy - and a search for the true potential of the human spirit - spiralling around the globe.
So is Rosslyn Chapel only a remnant of a collegiate church that was never fully completed as we first suspected? It is not and we promise you - despite all the fanciful stories so far - truth really is stranger and more remarkable than fiction.
'Rosslyn Castle was our playground as we grew'
Being born and brought up in Roslin village was a genuine blessing, according to author and filmmaker JOHN RITCHIE
I SUPPOSE the first time I became aware of Rosslyn Chapel, was after an expedition with my older twin cousins, Sadie and Cathy Aitken, to roll Easter eggs down Gardener's Brae. I remember seeing the chapel from outside the fence and remember thinking what a bright day it was. After rolling my cochinealed, decorated eggs and consuming them, we walked back round the chapel in what would be called a widdershins direction outside the fence and wall. As we passed by the main entrance, the gateway which still exists today, I peered and squinted into the sun and saw the outline of the chapel. I still hold that image in my head after nearly 55 years. I believe I was five.
Being born and brought up in Roslin village was a real blessing; the glen was a great place to explore and grow up as a boy. When I was about six or seven, myself and my friend George Peaston were late getting back to school after lunch and we were stopped by a new teacher who asked us where we had been, George - who was always quicker than I - said that we had been down visiting his grandmother's grave down in the glen. Our excuse was accepted and we entered our classroom.
Less than 20 minutes later, we were escorted to the office of the headmaster, Mr Macintyre. Mr Macintyre knew George's grandmother and asked us if we would like to repeat our excuse to her face, as she only lived over the wall from the school, and was very much alive. Such is the nature of a small village. Rosslyn Castle was also our playground, as we grew from boys into teenagers. Neil Leitch and I were great explorers of the castle, as his aunt was the caretaker and responsible for showing visitors around, so we never missed an opportunity to go exploring in this vast medieval castle.
Rosslyn Castle and the Glen was a favourite picnic place for many people who travelled out from Edinburgh by bus or bicycle - and still is today.
The castle is a fascinating place; the lower three floors date back to 1310. The lower floor, being carved out of the living rock, was the guard house and dungeon area. The second floor up was the scriptorium, which still had its monastic cells and the third floor was the kitchen area, but all this history was lost on us when the jackdaws were nesting.
The quest was not for some holy grail but for the incredible blue eggs with the black mottled markings. Jackdaws' eggs at this time, among our egg-collecting contemporaries, were great currency indeed. Although it may seem strange in this day and age, egg-collecting was more common than football for lads of our years.
My first introduction to the chapel was thanks to my grandfather who had been the caretaker for the castle and chapel during the [Second World ] War. He often spoke of the chapel and its many mysteries and I was duly hooked, listening intently to his descriptions of strange tales related to the chapel.
One of the strangest sights I have ever seen at the chapel was late one April. I was walking down to the castle on a sunny day, when a very heavy shower of rain came from nowhere. It was an incredible downpour and as I looked towards the chapel, the many waterspouts and gargoyles were streaming waterfalls in perfect curves. The chapel was caught in the sunlight and the whole building turned into a multitude of rainbows from the reflection of the rainwater, creating almost a crystal effect on the chapel. I stood soaked to the skin, but transfixed and amazed.
Later, I tried to explain it to several friends, and realised it was one of those very rare moments that defies explanation.
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