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Robert the Bruce was fighting at that time
to become King of Scotland, leading to him
being Excommunicated by the Pope. This is why
many people believe the Templar's traveled to
Scotland, as Scotland was then not under the
influence of the Pope.
Some people even claim it was the sight of
these Templar's at the Battle
of Bannockburn, alongside The Bruce, that
led to the English fleeing, although this claim
has never been verified.
1446 - Rosslyn Chapel was built for William
Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness, under the
original name - Collegiate Chapel of St
Matthew.
1544 - Roslin Castle was damaged by fire
when the Earl of Hertford's army attacked
during the War of the Rough Wooing. A
time when Henry the VIII of England wanted Mary
Queen of Scots to mary his son, to unite
Scotland and England. The Castle was rebuilt
soon after.
1560 - the Scottish Reformation made
Catholic worship in Scotland illegal. The
Sinclair's however, as with many others,
continued to be Catholics in secrete, although
Rosslyn Chapel was closed to the public at that
time.
1650 - Roslin Castle was damaged during the
English Civil War, as many Scots backed the
Royals, leading to the Parliamentarians
invading Scotland.
1688 - Roslin Castle was again damaged
during the Reformation, a time when the
remaining Catholic's were being pressured to
adopt Protestantism.
1861 - Rosslyn Chapel was re-opened to the
public as a place of worship, as a Scottish
Episcopal Church.
1890 - Francis Robert St Clair-Erskine,
fourth Earl of Rosslyn died. He was credited
with restoring Rosslyn Chapel. His Grave is
next to the Chapel, easily found with its large
red sandstone Memorial.
1982 to 1988 - the east range of Roslin
Castle was restored for the 7th Earl of
Rosslyn, a descendant of the Sinclairs. That
part of the Castle is now leased as Holiday
Accommodation.
1980s - Rosslyn Chapel became a place of
interest for people searching for the Knights
Templar Treasure, including the Holy Grail.
2003 - Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci
Code sees Rosslyn Chapel searched for
information on the Nights Templar Treasure.
2006 - a Film based on Brown's novel was
made starring Tom Hanks, named the The Da Vinci
Code, with part of the Film shot at Rosslyn
Chapel.
Today - The owner of the Chapel is Peter St
Clair-Erskine, 7th Earl of Rosslyn.
Strange Rosslyn, Fact or Fiction -
There is an Ornate Pillar in the Chapel
named the Apprentice Pillar. The Master Mason
returned to the building of Rosslyn Chapel to
find an Apprentice had completed the column by
himself. In a fit of anger, the Master Mason
struck the Apprentice on the head with his
mallet, killing him.
There are over 110 Carvings of Green Men
throughout the Chapel, Carvings of Human Faces
with greenery around them, even growing out of
their mouths.
Carvings also seem to show Corn or Maize
that was unknown in Europe at the time of
Rosslyn Chapel's construction.
Henry I Sinclair, Earl of Orkney, is claimed
to have traveled to the Americas well before
Columbus.
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