Rosslyn Chapel

William Sinclair began the chapel in 1456 and it was never finished; only the choir of a much larger intended church was built, which is why it stops abruptly at the west end. What was built is carved to an extreme degree: every surface, boss, arch and capital carries figures, foliage, animals and scenes, including more than a hundred green men, faces sprouting leaves, worked into the stonework. The Apprentice Pillar, a column wound with spirals of carved foliage, has a legend attached in which a master mason killed his apprentice for surpassing him. Carvings on the ceiling include plants that some have read as New World maize, decades before those voyages, which is disputed and probably stylised wheat. The chapel became heavily visited after appearing in The Da Vinci Code.

What to look for

• The Apprentice Pillar - a column wound in carved spiral foliage.
• The green men - over a hundred foliate faces across the stonework.
• The unfinished west end - a choir that stops where the nave was to begin.
• The saturated carving - almost no plain surface anywhere inside.

When to go

Year-round; the chapel is small and numbers are managed, so booking ahead matters, especially in summer. Winter weekdays are quiet. Services are held and close it to visitors at times.

Things to know

It is a small building and the ticket is expensive for its size. Photography inside is not permitted. The Da Vinci Code associations are heavily present in visitor expectation and the guides spend time correcting them. Parking in Roslin is limited.

Nearby

Roslin Glen and the castle ruin are below the chapel; Edinburgh is half an hour north.

Key facts