- Paperback: 304 pages
- Publisher: Mainstream Publishing; New edition edition (1 Jun 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1845961153
- ISBN-13: 978-1845961152
- Product Dimensions: 13 x 1.9 x 19.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 706,859 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Review
"A rich story linking Arthurian legend with a remarkable Christian chapel, arrived at methodically on the basis of solid historical evidence."
-"The Herald"
"The investigation is engrossing and the writers' accessible style means the reader is not lost in a sea of arcane details."
-"Derby Evening Telegraph"
-"The Herald"
"The investigation is engrossing and the writers' accessible style means the reader is not lost in a sea of arcane details."
-"Derby Evening Telegraph"
Product Description
Tens of millions of people worldwide learned of Scotland's Rossyln Chapel in Dan Brown's blockbuster novel The Da Vinci Code. Now, after 500 years shrouded in mystery and legend, the secrets of the chapel, the castle, King Arthur and the quest for the Holy Grail are about to be revealed.
The astonishing story of Rosslyn brings together a host of famous figures from history and legend, including Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, Alexander the Great, William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, Mary Queen of Scots, Joan of Arc, Sir Gawain and Merlin the Wizard.
No one has come close to unravelling the truth about Rosslyn. Until now.
* Does the fabled Holy Grail lie buried beneath Rosslyn Chapel?
* Did the Knights Templar hide their treasure in Rosslyn's secret crypt?
* Can the thousands of carvings within Rosslyn Chapel be decoded?
After more than a decade of research, two Scottish historians have finally uncovered the real story of Rosslyn and the Grail.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book provides not only a superb account of the medieval history of Rosslyn Chapel, but also a wonderful account of many local myths and legends. From the authors who clearly have an in-depth knowledge of the subject, their enthusiasm is transmitted for this beautiful location.
I was really interested in the decoding of the chapel's carvings, it is the most cogent and logical explanation I have seen - on a topic that attracts many wierd theories.
It was a pleasure to find a book about Rosslyn that does the chapel proud.
I was really interested in the decoding of the chapel's carvings, it is the most cogent and logical explanation I have seen - on a topic that attracts many wierd theories.
It was a pleasure to find a book about Rosslyn that does the chapel proud.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Whilst trying to put forward a view based in 'fact' I am afraid that these two historians contradict themselves. They criticise many what they call 'psuedo historians' whatever that might mean for taking the word of Father Hay as gospel then do just that when it suits their theory.
They try to disprove the possible survival of Knights Templar in Scotland by quoting a small amount about Templar trials in Scotland but neglect to tell you only two Knights were tried both of them english and neither of them executed in fact they were absolved.
They also discount that there was a contingenct of Templars at Bannockburn - but can they trully discount the possibility that they were their, but not wearing their Templar livery no one realised they were Templars.
An interesting read but not as convincing an argument as they may think - perhaps 2000 years of dogma have taken their toll on them like many other historians in the world.
They try to disprove the possible survival of Knights Templar in Scotland by quoting a small amount about Templar trials in Scotland but neglect to tell you only two Knights were tried both of them english and neither of them executed in fact they were absolved.
They also discount that there was a contingenct of Templars at Bannockburn - but can they trully discount the possibility that they were their, but not wearing their Templar livery no one realised they were Templars.
An interesting read but not as convincing an argument as they may think - perhaps 2000 years of dogma have taken their toll on them like many other historians in the world.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
2 reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Entertaining - but not what it says on the tin
4 Sep 2006
Format:Paperback
To be completely accurate, the title of this book should read "Rosslyn, and the Grail". Because there is actually very little in this book that is about both Rosslyn AND the grail.
What we do have here is a great deal about Scottish myths and legends, quite a lot of which relates to Rosslyn, and a little of which relates to the grail. Moreover, a great deal of what concerns Rosslyn is really about Rosslyn CASTLE rather than Rosslyn CHAPEL. The promised revelation of the "secrets" of Rosslyn Chapel is contained in the 16 pages of the book's fourteenth and final chapter (there are a further 80 pages of appendices), and it really doesn't amount to much of any consequence.
I appreciate that the primary purpose of the book is to set the record straight regarding various distorted accounts about Rosslyn, the holy grail, King Arthur, etc., and the authors have done a reasonably good job in this regard. It must also be said, however, that the only real link between King Arthur and the holy grail is found in Robert De Boron's three part 'romance' - "Merlin and the Grail" - still available from Amazon.
(This is also the main source for the idea - crucial to the conspiracy theorists' ideas about Leonardo's painting of the Last Supper - that the grail was a "chalice". In Chretian de Troyes' story "Perceval" it was a dish, and in Wolfram von Eschenbach's story of "Parzival" it was a stone.)
On this basis much of the supposedly "historical" material is actually about the legends surrounding King Arthur and his knights, which is entertaining enough, if you like that sort of thing, but not pasrticularly useful as anything but a commentary on one very limited area of the literature of the 12-13th century.
In short, if you're looking for a very general guide to Scottish folklore, etc., you might well enjoy this book. But if you're looking for an in depth guide to "The truth behind The Da Vinci Code", as implied at the top of the front cover, then in my opinion this will be pretty much a waste of money.
(I would have given the book 3 or even 4 stars if it was presented as what it really is.)
What we do have here is a great deal about Scottish myths and legends, quite a lot of which relates to Rosslyn, and a little of which relates to the grail. Moreover, a great deal of what concerns Rosslyn is really about Rosslyn CASTLE rather than Rosslyn CHAPEL. The promised revelation of the "secrets" of Rosslyn Chapel is contained in the 16 pages of the book's fourteenth and final chapter (there are a further 80 pages of appendices), and it really doesn't amount to much of any consequence.
I appreciate that the primary purpose of the book is to set the record straight regarding various distorted accounts about Rosslyn, the holy grail, King Arthur, etc., and the authors have done a reasonably good job in this regard. It must also be said, however, that the only real link between King Arthur and the holy grail is found in Robert De Boron's three part 'romance' - "Merlin and the Grail" - still available from Amazon.
(This is also the main source for the idea - crucial to the conspiracy theorists' ideas about Leonardo's painting of the Last Supper - that the grail was a "chalice". In Chretian de Troyes' story "Perceval" it was a dish, and in Wolfram von Eschenbach's story of "Parzival" it was a stone.)
On this basis much of the supposedly "historical" material is actually about the legends surrounding King Arthur and his knights, which is entertaining enough, if you like that sort of thing, but not pasrticularly useful as anything but a commentary on one very limited area of the literature of the 12-13th century.
In short, if you're looking for a very general guide to Scottish folklore, etc., you might well enjoy this book. But if you're looking for an in depth guide to "The truth behind The Da Vinci Code", as implied at the top of the front cover, then in my opinion this will be pretty much a waste of money.
(I would have given the book 3 or even 4 stars if it was presented as what it really is.)
Debunks popular conspiracy theories
8 Mar 2011
Format:Hardcover
For those seeking conspiracy theories or confirmation that the Holy Grail is in fact hidden at Rosslyn Chapel, this book is not for you. Rather, this debunks popular theories that have developed over the centuries and presents the actual history of Rosslyn and the St. Clair family who founded the remarkable and enigmatic chapel. Sure, there are plenty of local legends in its history, including mythical creatures of Scotland and variations on the Arthurian legends. There were also significant historical figures who are affiliated with Rosslyn like Robert the Bruce, Joan of Arc and Mary Queen of Scots. People seeking riddles and codes among Rosslyn Chapel's hundreds of carvings will be disappointed to discover that there is a logical outline to these images that combine biblical chronology, the life of Christ and a celebration of nature. The narrative was often bogged down with the lineages of the St. Clairs, various local dialects and a myriad of names of people and locations. Readers interested in Scottish lore may benefit from the appendices. Overall, I did think it effectively outlined a concise history of Rosslyn and demystified this astonishing piece of architecture and art, but it could have been written in a more engaging way.
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