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To: average joe who wrote (1506)	3/21/2005 3:50:40 PM
From: Tom Clarke	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 5290

From Jerusalem to Rosslyn?: The Templars in Scotland What about Templar links with Rosslyn? Many authoritative reports acknowledge that the Templars built Rosslyn, despite the order having been suppressed nearly two centuries earlier. The stories go that the Sinclair family were involved with Templarism, and Sir William Sinclair, using principles of sacred geometry, based the construction of Rosslyn on the Temple of Solomon. Several of the carvings in the chapel are thought to have Templar connections, and there are Templar graves in the chapel. Some writers believe that the carvings form a secret message, which, if decoded, would reveal the Templar secrets. However, sceptics argue that a lot of the ‘Templar’ symbolism has been misinterpreted. Many of the symbols are biblical in origin, and are not necessarily proof of a Templar connection. As to the Templar graves, again, it is argued that the heraldic symbols on the stones have been misidentified as Templar. The connection between the St Clairs and the Templars is also disputed by many. A Catherine St Clair is said to have married the founder of the Knights Templar, Hugh de Payens, and Hugh is said to have met with the family in Scotland. Hugh de Payens did embark upon a tour of Europe shortly after the establishment of the Templars, and did visit Scotland. The purpose of the trip was to raise money and support for the Temple, and the Templars were granted land by King David I, but there is no evidence that he met anyone connected to the St Clair family. As to a marriage with Catherine St Clair, there is no evidence of any Catherine St Clair having existed, let alone having married. The only reference to Catherine and the marriages comes from the ‘Priory of Sion’ documents which are regarded by many historians to be part of an elaborate hoax. Whatever the truth of the Templars’ involvement in Rosslyn, it is unlikely that the speculation will end. The success of books written on the Templar mysteries and the number of websites devoted to the order shows that the public have a huge interest in their fabled secrets. Rosslyn receives a large amount of attention because of the Templars and the secrets that the chapel may hold. However, as Dorothy Wordsworth remarked when she visited in 1807, the chapel is “exquisitely beautiful”, and it would be a great pity if the architectural merit of the building was overlooked, and only the Templar legends remembered. bbc.co.uk