Explore the Scotland Chapel in Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code

Whether Rosslyn Chapel is the resting place of the Holy Grail - assuming that the Grail exists -- is anyone's guess but there are things in the Da Vinci Code which, while they increase the popularity of Rosslyn, they overshadow its historical and architectural importance.

The truth about Rosslyn Chapel claims in the Da Vinci Code

Dan Brown claims that "All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate" which in the case of the chapel in Roslin, could not be further than the truth.

In the Da Vinci Code, Rosslyn Chapel is said to be often called "the Cathedral of Codes" and that "The Knights Templar had designed Rosslyn Chapel as an exact architectural blueprint of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem". Rosslyn Chapel is, in fact, built upon a blueprint of St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh which follows the common architectural style and structure for churches in those days.

Dan Brown also mentions in the Da Vinci Code the "presence of an astonishing structure beneath the chapel - a massive subterranean chamber". Rosslyn Chapel does have a sacristy on the east side that is accessible to visitors via steps. While a grave slab of a Knight Templar can be found in the sacristy, apparently strengthening the chapel's links to the Templars, few tourists know that it was actually brought there from Old Pentland kirkyard, a few miles away.

Dan Brown also claims that the "The Star of David" is engraved on the chapel floor but none of the old engravings of the chapel show it to exist. Today, the entire floor of the chapel's choir is covered by a red covering.

Fundation stone was laid on St. Matthew's Day, 21st September 1446. The orientation is due East and West, marked out by the solar ray, according to the ancient tradition. A geometrical figure is usually used to regulate the proportions, and a double equilateral triangle is used in Rosslyn.

Unfortunately the original plans for Rosslyn have never been found or recorded, so it is open to speculation whether or not the chapel was intended to be built in its current layout. The fact the foundations for a much larger nave were excavated in the nineteenth century and can be seen today suggest grander plans were made for the chapel at its inauguration. The chapel as seen now is therefore what would have been the choir as the larger nave was never built. However as it stands today Rosslyn's asymmetry is just one of the many unique architectural features.

The Da Vinci Code does omit Rosslyn Chapel justice by mentioning the astonishing array of sculptures and symbols to be found all over this Roslin attraction. Whether you believe in the Da Vinci Code book or not, don't let the novel detract from the chapel's real significance - Rosslyn Chapel is a gem, a stone puzzle like no other to be found anywhere in the world.