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Scottish Art - Paintings of Scotland:
Rosslyn Chapel

by D. Bruce Bennett

Rosslyn Chapel West Door

Even before "The Da Vinci Code" hit the streets, Rosslyn Chapel was surrounded by history and mystery. Are there really 20 barons buried in their armor in the 350-year-old vault below its floors? Did the Knights Templar really bring back scrolls to challenge the papacy's legitimacy and are those scrolls still hidden in the chapel? Is the Holy Grail there as well . . . and other treasures beyond imagination?

(Click for larger view of Rosslyn Chapel West Door.)

Who knows? (There is, apparently, still no law against outlandish claims.) But this original artwork depicting Rosslyn Chapel west door, entering what was to be the baptistery, is a little treasure in and of itself - and quite affordable. Begun by Sir William St. Clair in 1446, the official name of Rosslyn Chapel is The Collegiate Church of St. Matthew. It was originally meant to be a much larger, cruciform building from which intellectual and spiritual knowledge was to flow.

Alas, Sir William over-reached himself. Although he died a long 40 years after it was begun, Rosslyn Chapel still hadn't reached its planned opulence and size by the time of his death. What the artisans of Sir William St. Clair did complete, though, is a little jewel of unusual carvings and Masonic symbols, some of which can be seen in the statuary and window tracery above the open door in this Scottish Art.

If you've visited Rosslyn Chapel since 1997, you've only seen it shrouded in scaffolding, which will probably be there a while, given the extent of needed repairs for moisture problems. Here's a view for you of Rosslyn Chapel, uncluttered by necessary-but-tacky steel and camera-toting tourists. Mat and frame it with quiet, subtle matting and a suitably ornate frame, and you'll have an original piece of Scottish Art, which is way better than any shot-on-the-go, holiday snap.

Rosslyn Chapel West Door Picture of Scotland
Medium: acrylic on 300#, cold-pressed watercolor paper
Image Dimensions: 16" w. x 20" h.
Mat: none
Glass: none
Frame: none

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If you’d like to learn more about Rosslyn Chapel, go to the Rosslyn Chapel official web site: