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Rosslyn Chapel, originally named the '''Collegiate Chapel of St. Matthew ''', is a 15th Century church in the village of Roslin , Midlothian , Scotland . The chapel was designed by William Sinclair (also spelled "St. Clair") of the St. Clair family, a Scottish noble family descended from Norman knights and, according to legend, linked to the Scottish Knights Templar . Construction of the chapel began in 1440 , and the chapel was officially founded in 1446 . Construction lasted for forty years. ARCHITECTURE Excavations carried out in the 19th Century suggest that the extant chapel was intended to form part of a much larger structure, the building of which was halted when William Sinclair died. However some authors have theorised that the Chapel's west wall is actually a model of the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem and is part of the structure by design, rather than proof of another intended stage of building, which would have made the site about the size of a Cathedral . The extant chapel most closely resembles the East Quire of Glasgow Cathedral . The Chapel is famous for two of its pillars: the Apprentice Pillar and the Master Pillar which stand either side of the Journeyman's pillar and have distinctly different carving. Masonic Architects believe these structures could signify the pillars of Boaz And Jachin . The chapel stands on thirteen pillars, forming an arcade of twelve pointed arches, a fourteenth pillar between the penultimate pair at the east end form a three pillared division between the nave and the Lady Chapel . Also many Archaeoastronomers believe that the walls are carved with Azimuth s, that give co-ordinates for sites in Iceland (where the St. Clairs supposedly originated) and across Great Britain . FREEMASONRY? The chapel has long been famous for its possible connections to Freemasonry and its attendant rituals. After being noted in both the works of Baigent , Leigh and Lincoln in The Holy Blood And The Holy Grail , and Knight & Lomas in The Hiram Key , this connection entered mainstream consciousness when named in the novel The Da Vinci Code for its (possible) links to the Holy Grail . Despite the fictitious nature of this work, its influence has been considerable. The Scottish NGO The Friends Of Rosslyn , which own the land surrounding the Chapel and the Rosslyn Chapel Trust which administers the Chapel, have both published a number of books and literature on the Chapel. Certainly the Chapel is used by a modern group calling themselves Knights Templar (possibly a Masonic organization) for 'investiture' ceremonies, and because of its connection to one of the more famous freemasons ( William Sinclair ) and also due to the Masonic architecture and symbolism featured on the Chapel walls, many Freemasons from all over the world visit it. Certain points in its architecture are quite indicative of a Masonic , and Templar, connection. The family also has well-documented ties to Scottish Freemasonry , being among the Grand Lodge Of Scotland 's first Grand Masters. American voyages In addition to the theory that the Chapel was used by Freemasons and Knights Templar is the claim that those groups, stationed at Rosslyn Chapel, journeyed to North America and back before Christopher Columbus . This claim is based on several points: # some of what appear to be the oldest graveyards in Nova Scotia (which means New Scotland in Latin ) have Masonic symbols and Crusader crosses on them; # the Westford Knight is a rock engraving in Massachusetts supposedly showing a Scottish knight, linked to the Henry Sinclair party, with the Clan Gunn markings; # most importantly, Rosslyn Chapel, although completed six years before Columbus' voyage, allegedly has stone carvings in it of plants native to the Western hemisphere, such as Aloe and Maize . For more information, see '' La Merika ''. THE HOLY GRAIL? Because of its rumoured connections with Freemasonry , the chapel has inevitably become part of modern lore as one of the possible final resting places of The Holy Grail . This is a possibility based on legends of 'Secret Vaults' and the possibility that the similarities between Rosslyn and the Herods Temple might be more than cosmetic. St Clair legend suggests that there are three big medieval chests (probably the size of steamer trunks) buried somewhere on the property, and this has inevitably led to various theories as to the chests' contents. Past scanning and excavations in or near the Chapel have not yielded any such chests. Sealed chambers under the basement of the chapel, however, have yet to be excavated for fear of collapsing the entire structure. SEE ALSO
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