Construction started on this incredible structure in the 1440s, and as far as I could tell by looking around the owner of the Roslin estate, William St Clair, employed half the master stonemasons in Europe and told them to do as they pleased. The sculptured interior is amazing, edifying (he'd set out to create "a Bible in stone"), inspiring and, yes, beautiful.
After a magnificent storytelling introduction by our guide, Helen, we visitors were given free rein to wander as we pleased. It was captivating, and more than an hour flew by without my even noticing - despite this being really rather small by church standards. It had originally been envisaged as a huge cathedral, but the project stopped after the choir was built and that was simply finished off to become a chapel instead.
It's hard to convey in words quite how fascinating a place this is, so my advice is: visit. My daughter and son in law were bang on right. It'll cost you just over a tenner to get in and you'll be glad you paid it.
And as a place to pray? It's still an active church (Scottish Episcopalian) and there are weekly services and prayer meetings. I didn't catch one of those, and it's a little harder to pray in such a small space when it's crowded with other visitors. I think it would be a wonderful place to worship with others, so perhaps that'll need to be the plan for next time - arrive on a Sunday morning.
Did you hear the story of the apprentice stonemason, killed by the stonemason?
ReplyDeleteAlso found a,scallop shell near the door linked to a very early Pilgrimage
Yes, the story of the apprentice pillar was great. We had a great member of staff that day who gave a superb talk about the chapel and told the story with verve and elan!
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