November/December 2007

An encounter with author Mark Oxbrow

“It is one of the most remarkable churches in existence. Truth and Beauty, Poetry and Imagination are here enshrined in stone in a Sanctuary dedicated to the service of the Most High.”

Will Grant’s description, written around 1947, encapsulates in a few words the magic of Rosslyn Chapel, which has intrigued visitors for over 500 years. The Chapel, whose first stones were laid in 1446, is located a few miles south of Edinburgh, Scotland, close to the Midlothian village of Roslin. Half a millennium following its foundation, Rosslyn, with its plethora of mysterious carvings and baggage of legends, has sparked off intense debates that have yielded an eclectic collection of esoteric theories. March 2003 saw Rosslyn being elevated to worldwide celebrity, as The Da Vinci Code, written by Dan Brown, was released in the United States. This fictional thriller has intrigued millions and sparked off religious controversy around the globe, and Rosslyn has provided the perfect mystical backdrop where the breath-taking rat race was finally resolved. Since then, speculation about Rosslyn Chapel became even more daring. Rosslyn was attributed by some to be the hiding place of the Holy Grail, the resting spot of the hypothetical wife of Jesus — Mary Magdalene, and even the place where the head of Christ Himself was buried.

Mark Oxbrow is a historian and folklorist who, together with Ian Robertson, has co-authored the book Rosslyn and the Grail, an extremely well-researched work that uses sound historical sources in an attempt to untangle fact from fiction. Unlike many proponents of far-fetched theories that have sprouted like wild mushrooms following the release of The Da Vinci Code, Oxbrow has been consistently studying Rosslyn Chapel’s history for the past 20 years, methodically going through historic archives and investigating its related legends with an analytical mind.

“The first time I visited Rosslyn, many years ago, it was almost unknown. The admission fee then was just 50p!” he admits. “I remember that it was covered in green moss, and it felt secret and magical. I got the feeling of having a thousand eyes watching me at the same time.”

Rosslyn Chapel or more properly the Collegiate Church of St Matthew was built during the 15th century for Sir William St Clair Lord of Roslin, the third and last St Clair Earl of Orkney. At the time, wealthy Scottish nobles like the St Clairs were erecting collegiate churches, which were centres for divine worship and portals for learning. Sir William died in 1484 before the chapel was completed and it has remained so to this day. The chapel you see today is the choir of what should have been a much larger cruciform church typical of the period. Rosslyn stands out amongst other collegiate churches of its time for its rich and prolific carvings and can aptly be described as a tapestry in stone.

Furthermore, the Chapel has a picture-perfect setting. It is perched on a hill overlooking a lush, wooded glen through which the winding River Esk gushes its way amidst steep, rocky banks. “I never passed through a more delicious dell than the glen of Roslin…” wrote Dorothy Wordsworth in her Recollections of a Tour Made in Scotland (1803).

“Rosslyn Chapel feels organic; alive,” says Oxbrow passionately, “and my appreciation for it has grown over the years as I pieced out how everything fitted together in a bigger picture. It is like one big sculpture that allows you to travel back 500 years in time.”

Most of the old legends surrounding Rosslyn, like that of the White Lady or more importantly, the Arthurian legends that were the staple literature of 15th century nobles, have been completely forgotten to be supplanted by modern myths that connect the Knights Templar to the Chapel and the St Clair family. Advocates of such pseudo-theories state that some of the Templars fled France after their persecution by King Philip the Fair in 1307, taking with them the Templar treasure. They headed to Scotland, where King Robert Bruce was under excommunication, and sought asylum at Roslin Castle. Sir William St Clair was the Templar Grand Master, and became guardian of their secret treasure. Allegedly, he also led the Templars at the Battle of Bannockburn and delivered a battle-turning Templar charge against the English. Some 130 years later, another Sir William St Clair, the third Earl of Orkney, founded Rosslyn Chapel and hid the Templar treasure within. He had Templar symbols carved to indicate where the treasure was to the select few.

Mark Oxbrow dismisses these theories because they are not backed by tangible historical proof. Fortunately, records of the Templar trial held at Holyrood, Edinburgh, (1309) survive to this day and can help us dispel the possibility of Templar connections to the St Clairs. During the trial, Sir William St Clair himself accused the Templars that they “were not willing to offer hospitality to the poor” and that they were “very anxious to acquire the property of others for their Order, by fair means or foul.” Saying that Sir William was a Templar Grand Master would certainly be stretching imagination to its limits.

On the other hand, Mark Oxbrow sees the traditional legends surrounding Rosslyn Chapel and Castle as useful sources of information, all of which have been explained in their proper context in the book Rosslyn and the Grail. “In a way,” he says, “I think that sometimes legends are truer than history, not because they tell us what happened, but because they tell us how the people of the time felt about what happened. Legends represent the common folks’ beliefs and tell us how they perceived the world around them. Careful study of legends can be useful to fill in the gaps left by conventional sources.”

The much-debated link of the St Clairs to Freemasonry can be traced only to the 18th century, long after the Rosslyn Chapel’s founding. In 1736, Sir William St Clair, the last male descendent of the Chapel’s founder, was initiated into Freemasonry and immediately appointed as the first Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland. “This looks very odd,” says Mark Oxbrow. “Most probably, the Freemasons adopted the St Clairs to give an ancient lineage to their organization, which the Grand Lodge of England (set up in 1717) did not possess.” During the Victorian age, Freemasons repaired and added carvings in Rosslyn Chapel, giving it a “Masonic touch.” They also built the highly ornamental baptistery we see today. Thus there is absolutely no proven link between the Templars and the later St Clair Freemasons.

After over 20 years of research and visits, Mark Oxbrow and co-author Ian Robertson believe they have unraveled the story in Rosslyn’s carvings. To sum it up briefly, the story commences to the East, facing the rising sun. An angel with an open book signifies the beginning, as does a carving of the Nativity, the birth of Christ, with the Star of Bethlehem. Here the green men (human faces with leaves sticking out of their mouths) are juvenile. On moving in a clockwise direction towards the south side of the Chapel, the green men are bearded and represent maturity. Moving along the west side and further to the north side, one finds depictions of death, including the crucifixion of Christ. The green men on the outside of the Chapel are skeletal, which is a very uncommon depiction. Also, at the North side, are two dark grey nondescript slabs, which most visitors of Rosslyn tread upon unwarily. Beneath these slabs lies the crypt in which generations of St Clair lords were buried in their armor. Beside a window, an angel with a closed book signifies the end of life on Earth. The North-East of the Chapel is where the Death joins Life in a circle of infinity. The highly ornate apprentice pillar is the focus of the Chapel. Together with the other two central pillars, they symbolize truth, strength and beauty.

“Every pillar and carving in Rosslyn,” says Oxbrow, “has been carefully positioned and is part of an intricate web of symbolic links.” The carvings have different layers of symbolic meanings which would have been more apparent to 15th century worshipers than they are to us. To the St Clair family, the Chapel had an even deeper meaning as it was the resting place of their family — a link from this world to the next.

While modern treasure hunters are lured towards Rosslyn seeking a hidden Grail, Oxbrow does not dismiss the idea that a real treasure might lurk close to Rosslyn Chapel. “It is very possible that there are secrets at Rosslyn. While researching the Chapel, I came across one account that said that the Scots royalty, Mary of Guise and her daughter Mary Queen of Scots, were using Roslin Castle as a safe. Both Marys were Catholic, and during the uneasy shift of the Protestant Reformation, they found strong and trustworthy allies in the Catholic St Clairs. The legend of the White Lady is based on the belief that a woman of the St Clair line is guarding a secret room, possibly under the castle. When Lord Darnley married Mary Queen of Scots, the Catholic ceremony was presided over by a bishop who was the grandson of William St Clair, the Chapel’s founder. Darnley was rich and liked to flaunt his wealth. When he was blown up, no one knows what became of his treasure. It is very tempting to think that Mary could have turned to the St Clairs during that turbulent time for the safekeeping of her husband’s wealth. They were one of a few families who remained loyal and devoted to the Catholic Queen.”

Rosslyn Chapel is a gem of religious architecture that can only be properly understood when placed in its 15th century setting. Its intriguing historic background has been outshone by blinding limelight conferred by The Da Vinci Code, and it is quite a challenge for the inquisitive visitor to shed the blindfold of modern hype and see Rosslyn Chapel resplendent in its true light.

“Rosslyn was meant to be felt,” affirms Mark Oxbrow. “The awe it inspires and the sense of Divine it makes you feel is far superior to the discovery of any material treasure. Rosslyn is a sacred site that cannot be looked at simply in a rational way. It is magic — an inspiring spiritual space.”

The Rosslyn Chapel Trust is responsible for conserving the Chapel and making it accessible to visitors. A history of Rosslyn Chapel can be read from the Trust website: http://www.rosslynchapel.org.uk/

More information about Mark Oxbrow and his books can be gleaned at http://www.markoxbrow.com/