0:00:09 > 0:00:15For the past 500 years, few places have stirred the imagination more
0:00:15 > 0:00:18than a beautiful and mysterious building in Scotland
0:00:18 > 0:00:21called Rosslyn Chapel.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23CHOIR SINGS
0:00:23 > 0:00:28Some legends claim it has links with secretive organisations
0:00:28 > 0:00:31such as the Freemasons or the Knights Templar.
0:00:31 > 0:00:36One extravagant theory even suggests that, buried within the chapel,
0:00:36 > 0:00:38is the holy grail of Christ.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43Whatever the truth of these claims, over the centuries,
0:00:43 > 0:00:47countless writers and artists have found inspiration
0:00:47 > 0:00:50in the extraordinary stone carvings here at Rosslyn,
0:00:50 > 0:00:55once described as "a poem of stone, powdered with stars."
0:00:56 > 0:01:00My name's Helen Rosslyn,
0:01:00 > 0:01:04and the chapel's been in my husband's family since it was built.
0:01:04 > 0:01:10As an art historian, I'm fascinated by the stories behind works of art.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12To solve some of Rosslyn's mysteries
0:01:12 > 0:01:16and to reveal the meanings behind these carvings,
0:01:16 > 0:01:21I'm going to get closer to the stonework than anyone has in years.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23I'll visit sites across Scotland
0:01:23 > 0:01:27to learn more about the art of medieval stonemasonry.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29And I'll also travel to the continent
0:01:29 > 0:01:34to search for the Norman origins of the men who built Rosslyn Chapel.
0:01:34 > 0:01:40And what inspired them to create such a remarkable treasure in stone.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00Rosslyn Chapel's greatest attraction
0:02:00 > 0:02:04is the extraordinary beauty of its stonework.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08Many of these inspiring carvings are religious narratives.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12Yet the meaning behind some of them has been forgotten.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14And very little is known about
0:02:14 > 0:02:17the medieval stonemasons who created them.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21Just what influenced these largely forgotten artists to cover
0:02:21 > 0:02:27the chapel with so many intricate carvings is shrouded in mystery.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32Rosslyn Chapel lies about eight miles south of Edinburgh.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37It was built as a family chapel in the middle of the 15th century
0:02:37 > 0:02:41by Sir William St Clair, 11th Baron of Rosslyn, and Prince of Orkney.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47By the 17th century, the chapel had fallen into ruins.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51But in 2003, it became famous worldwide
0:02:51 > 0:02:55when it featured prominently in The Da Vinci Code.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00I always love coming into this chapel
0:03:00 > 0:03:03because I'm absolutely amazed by the carving.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06It's on every single surface.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09Which sort of makes you feel as though you're stepping right into
0:03:09 > 0:03:11a three-dimensional medieval sculpture.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14It's been called a bible in stone,
0:03:14 > 0:03:17which is hardly surprising because it is a chapel.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21And one of the really interesting things about the carvings
0:03:21 > 0:03:24is that they would have been done in an age when people couldn't really read.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27And so a lot of the moral stories, like this one here,
0:03:27 > 0:03:32were done in stone to remind people of how they should behave.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34And here we've got the seven virtues,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37and on the other side of the same flat arch,
0:03:37 > 0:03:39we've got the seven deadly sins.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42You can see a man standing, deciding
0:03:42 > 0:03:45whether he's going to follow the virtues,
0:03:45 > 0:03:49and end up with St Peter at the gates of heaven.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52And the things he has to do, the seven virtues,
0:03:52 > 0:03:55are helping the needy, clothing the naked.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58And then you've got visiting the sick,
0:03:58 > 0:04:00with a bed and a sick person in it.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04After that, you've got visiting those in prison.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06And that's incredible, the detail there.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08If you look really carefully,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11you can even see a face behind bars in the prison.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15And then there is feeding the hungry.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17And burying the dead.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21And the reward is St Peter.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23Standing with the key at the gates of heaven.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29On the other side, we have...
0:04:29 > 0:04:31the seven deadly sins.
0:04:31 > 0:04:36You have pride, gluttony.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40Anger, there, with the man and his axe.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43Now, the most interesting thing for me about this
0:04:43 > 0:04:46is that one of the stones is the wrong way round.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49This could have been just a simple human error,
0:04:49 > 0:04:54but you can see that charity there, with the two figures,
0:04:54 > 0:04:58is the wrong way round amongst the seven deadly sins.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01And on the other side, you've got greed or avarice
0:05:01 > 0:05:04amongst the virtues.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07So, it was probably just a simple case of human error.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10The poor stonemason who carved the wrong scene
0:05:10 > 0:05:13on the wrong side of the stone had to put it in anyway,
0:05:13 > 0:05:15it would only fit one way round,
0:05:15 > 0:05:18and he just hoped nobody would notice.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23Virtually every surface tells a different moral tale.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28One of the hidden gems in this chapel
0:05:28 > 0:05:32is this stone depiction of the dance of death.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35Which was also often called the "danse macabre",
0:05:35 > 0:05:37because it came really from France,
0:05:37 > 0:05:41and it reflects the medieval preoccupation with mortality.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45Each of the figures here taken from different walks of life
0:05:45 > 0:05:46is shown the skeleton
0:05:46 > 0:05:50to indicate that death always wins out in the end.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57But many of Rosslyn's medieval carvings
0:05:57 > 0:06:02have been covered by modern scaffolding for over a decade.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06The chapel's been undergoing a £9-million conservation programme.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14In the aftermath of the Reformation, Rosslyn fell into disrepair.
0:06:14 > 0:06:20But by the late 18th century, the romantic overgrown ruins
0:06:20 > 0:06:22had become an inspiration for
0:06:22 > 0:06:25artists like David Roberts and Turner
0:06:25 > 0:06:29as well as writers like Wordsworth, Burns, and Sir Walter Scott.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34Although there were some early attempts to
0:06:34 > 0:06:36restore and repair the place,
0:06:36 > 0:06:40centuries of foul Scottish weather caused severe damage.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44So, for the past 13 years, we've been trying to dry it out
0:06:44 > 0:06:47by covering it with this 50-ton steel roof.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52As the Countess of Rosslyn and the chairman of the Rosslyn Chapel Trust
0:06:52 > 0:06:56I've been closely involved with the conservation programme.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59When I first came here nearly 30 years ago,
0:06:59 > 0:07:01the stone was so saturated
0:07:01 > 0:07:04that water was literally running down the inside of the chapel walls.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08So we had to do something dramatic to make the building watertight.
0:07:08 > 0:07:13The first thing we did was to put on this protective canopy.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16And the second phase, which we're doing at the moment,
0:07:16 > 0:07:18is to fix the roof, the leaky windows,
0:07:18 > 0:07:22and the rather eccentric medieval drainage system.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25So that's why this building is such a hive of activity,
0:07:25 > 0:07:28because, in the next couple of months, hopefully,
0:07:28 > 0:07:30the canopy is about to come off.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34The latest conservation techniques focus on preserving
0:07:34 > 0:07:39as much of the detail of the original stonework as possible -
0:07:39 > 0:07:42and learning from some of the mistakes of the past.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47In the 1950s, the walls were so damp
0:07:47 > 0:07:50that a decision was taken to clean the internal stonework
0:07:50 > 0:07:56and coat it with magnesium fluoride, also known as cementitious slurry.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00Done with the best of intentions, it had the unforeseen consequence
0:08:00 > 0:08:03of obscuring much of the original detail.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09The man in charge of the conservation team, Nic Boyes,
0:08:09 > 0:08:13has unearthed some old footage of the unfortunate process going on.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16All right, what I'm really keen to show you now
0:08:16 > 0:08:20is work that was done during the 1950s by the Ministry of Works.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24OK, so we're really focusing on the interior of the chapel.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27So this is the application of the cementitious slurry
0:08:27 > 0:08:29that we always hear about, is it?
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Well, yes, it is the application of the surface treatment.
0:08:32 > 0:08:33Here you can see we've got a man
0:08:33 > 0:08:36who's actually cleaning there, I think.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38So he's got a small paintbrush.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40This is very similar to the work we were doing.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44Now we have this guy, happy in his work, is applying,
0:08:44 > 0:08:46you can see just how he's doing it.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50He's using a three-inch paintbrush and he's stippling material on.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53- And that's exactly the material that we can see now.- Right.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56- That white stuff.- Yeah.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58This is the moment when the surface of the stone,
0:08:58 > 0:09:01as we were intended to view it by the carver, is over-painted.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05And so there's a fantastic view of that angel figure.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07Without the coating on it.
0:09:07 > 0:09:12And you can see just how crisp, just how...legible
0:09:12 > 0:09:14that carve detail is.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17To them, that's beautifully smartened and, you know...
0:09:17 > 0:09:20But the thinking behind it, presumably,
0:09:20 > 0:09:23was that they would just stop the stone crumbling.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26- Which was what prompted them to do it?- That was part of it.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30OK, so, they were responding to a decayed stone surface.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34But they were also responding to the fact they obviously could see
0:09:34 > 0:09:36there was water coming in through the building.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40There was this really sort of unpleasant visual result of that.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43There would be dead biological growth, live biological growth,
0:09:43 > 0:09:44it would have been blotchy.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47So they would have applied several layers of this thing?
0:09:47 > 0:09:49Which is why it looks so thick
0:09:49 > 0:09:53- and why so much of the detail of the carving's lost?- Exactly. Yeah.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57In fact, when we go and have a close look at it, you can actually
0:09:57 > 0:10:01still see the brushmarks, you can see just how thickly it's been applied.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05In an attempt to reveal the detail of the original carvings,
0:10:05 > 0:10:07Nic and his team have done some tests
0:10:07 > 0:10:10to remove the magnesium fluoride.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13But unfortunately, the techniques available at the moment
0:10:13 > 0:10:16risk damaging the stonework even more.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19I am now very aware of our responsibility
0:10:19 > 0:10:23to ensure that the conservation techniques we choose
0:10:23 > 0:10:26will not prove someday to cause more harm than good.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32For the conservation work, we haven't just had scaffolding
0:10:32 > 0:10:38on the outside of the chapel, we've had it on the inside as well.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41It might be a temporary disappointment for visitors,
0:10:41 > 0:10:46but it allows us to get a close-up look at the astonishing stonework
0:10:46 > 0:10:48of the chapel's medieval masons.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00Oh, Nic! Spectacular.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02I can't believe it.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06We're so close to all this beautiful carving.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09So, where are we heading?
0:11:09 > 0:11:11Well, let's have a look at this.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16Oh, yes, look!
0:11:16 > 0:11:18There is so much detail.
0:11:18 > 0:11:23I mean, all that carving on the cuff there, and these fingernails.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27It matches the one on the other side, doesn't it, which is superb.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31I mean, we are more than 35 feet from the ground here.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33So, you can imagine, none of this
0:11:33 > 0:11:36was carved with the intention of being viewed closely.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39No, I think that's what's so astounding,
0:11:39 > 0:11:42and yet, they haven't spared any detail at all.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44I mean, even above the cross there,
0:11:44 > 0:11:47you've got that bit of detailed engraving.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51And, of course, we have seen the footage taken during the 1950s,
0:11:51 > 0:11:57of a man exactly here using a paintbrush
0:11:57 > 0:12:02to remove that loose material from each of these flowers.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05I've never seen that before.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09I love the way all these ribs are completely different.
0:12:09 > 0:12:10I mean, the decoration on this
0:12:10 > 0:12:13is completely different from the decoration on that
0:12:13 > 0:12:15and the one at the end, look.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19What else is there in this bay?
0:12:21 > 0:12:23I love the different carving here.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25Look, there is another face.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29And that's a really different face, look.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33It's a really calm, serene face, but quite plain.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36- That's quite interesting. - It's very enigmatic.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38What is particularly interesting to me,
0:12:38 > 0:12:43- just emerging there is an oyster shell.- Oh, really?
0:12:43 > 0:12:47It's a really well-known construction technique of the 15th century,
0:12:47 > 0:12:51to pack construction joints with oyster shells.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53You can really see it well.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56The reason for that is it reduces the mass of mortar.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59We still do that nowadays. On the outside of this roof,
0:12:59 > 0:13:03we've done exactly the same thing, albeit with a different material.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16And look at this level. This is a great level, actually,
0:13:16 > 0:13:20because you get the light coming in so beautifully from the windows.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24It's lovely to be able to get a chance to see some of this detail.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28This must be one of the tops of the niches of the statues.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31I mean, I have never noticed it was so incredibly detailed,
0:13:31 > 0:13:33- all this carving.- Precisely.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37Beautiful chevron detail, is virtually invisible from down below.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41If you can see...
0:13:43 > 0:13:46There are these ball-flower motifs.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48They are beautifully spaced.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50There is an exquisite rhythm to them
0:13:50 > 0:13:53all the way up until you get to this construction joint.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57And there you can see somebody has made a small error.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00But for me, that's the charm of this building,
0:14:00 > 0:14:02- because it's its individuality.- Yes.
0:14:02 > 0:14:07And then, just above it, is Christ with his hand raised in blessing,
0:14:07 > 0:14:12which I've seen from down below but I've never managed to see here.
0:14:12 > 0:14:13And again, just like up above,
0:14:13 > 0:14:17you have got the detail on his cuffs which I haven't seen before.
0:14:17 > 0:14:22So, it is probably fair to say, with the exception of the 1950s workmen,
0:14:22 > 0:14:25probably the only other people who would have seen this carving
0:14:25 > 0:14:28in this place are the masons who put it there?
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Yes, that is entirely possible.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38This is a really fascinating carving with three heads.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42And they are so detailed again but they are really different heads,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45that's what is so interesting. So this here with the long hair
0:14:45 > 0:14:48probably signifies somebody of nobility, I would think.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52All I can say is the one on the left is certainly happy about his work!
0:14:54 > 0:14:57These carvings are an impressive display
0:14:57 > 0:14:59of masonry and artistic skills.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Unfortunately, we know almost nothing
0:15:02 > 0:15:04about the men who created them.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14To find out more about the origins of the chapel
0:15:14 > 0:15:18and the men who built it, I am heading up the road to Edinburgh.
0:15:22 > 0:15:27Historians agree that Rosslyn Chapel was founded in 1446,
0:15:27 > 0:15:32by Sir William St Clair, the 11th Baron of Rosslyn.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36But all his original papers were destroyed in a fire.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38Here at the National Library of Scotland,
0:15:38 > 0:15:42I've come to see historical documents expert, Julian Russell.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47He's the leading authority on a manuscript previously
0:15:47 > 0:15:51copied from the original 15th century accounts
0:15:51 > 0:15:52of Sir William St Clair.
0:15:53 > 0:15:58It was completed in 1700 by a cleric called Father Richard Hay.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04Father Hay was so closely associated with the family,
0:16:04 > 0:16:07wasn't he, because I know he married in... His mother married in.
0:16:07 > 0:16:13His mother, yes. His father died when he was a schoolboy.
0:16:13 > 0:16:14His mother married again,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17and she married a member of the St Clair family.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22And here he is, William St Clair, Prince of Orkney.
0:16:22 > 0:16:27Oh, yes, here we are. Velvet, chains of gold.
0:16:27 > 0:16:32"It came in his mind to build a house for God's service
0:16:32 > 0:16:34"of most curious work.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38"The foundation of this..."
0:16:38 > 0:16:40- Rare work.- "..rare work,
0:16:40 > 0:16:45"he caused to be laid in the year of our Lord 1446.
0:16:45 > 0:16:51"And because he thought the masons had not a convenient place
0:16:51 > 0:16:53"to lodge in near the place,
0:16:53 > 0:16:57"where he builded this curious college,
0:16:57 > 0:17:05"therefore he made them to build the town of Rosslyn that now is extant.
0:17:05 > 0:17:11"And gave every one of them a house and lands."
0:17:11 > 0:17:14- Answerable there unto. - Answerable there unto.
0:17:14 > 0:17:19"So that this town, at that time, became very populous,
0:17:19 > 0:17:22"so it was thought to be the chiefest town in all Lothian,
0:17:22 > 0:17:24"except Edinburgh and Haddington."
0:17:24 > 0:17:27So, that's rather a lovely image, isn't it?
0:17:27 > 0:17:29The idea of William St Clair
0:17:29 > 0:17:31creating this great town for his masons.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35It is rather surprising, because you don't think of Rosslyn
0:17:35 > 0:17:38- as having been such an important place.- No.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42I wondered about what they had been paid.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46"He rewarded the masons according to their degree.
0:17:46 > 0:17:47"As to the Master Mason,
0:17:47 > 0:17:55"he gave £40 yearly, and to every one of the rest, £10."
0:17:55 > 0:18:01'£10 in 1446 equates to something approaching £50,000 today.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05'So the Master Mason's wage of £40 was a massive amount.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08'These masons, whoever they were,
0:18:08 > 0:18:12'were obviously highly valued by Sir William.'
0:18:12 > 0:18:17'But how did he come to have that kind of wealth and status?'
0:18:17 > 0:18:19In the year 1066,
0:18:19 > 0:18:23the first St Clairs came to Britain from Normandy,
0:18:23 > 0:18:26with their cousin, William the Conqueror.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30But when a later descendant of the St Clairs, William the Seemly,
0:18:30 > 0:18:34helped an Anglo-Saxon princess to escape north of the English border,
0:18:34 > 0:18:38the King of Scotland rewarded him with the lands of Rosslyn.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43Remains of the St Clairs' Castle
0:18:43 > 0:18:47can still be found today close to Rosslyn Chapel.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54From this bridge, you really do get an idea of the scale and grandeur
0:18:54 > 0:18:57of the building as it was in Sir William St Clair's day.
0:18:57 > 0:18:58Starting down by the river,
0:18:58 > 0:19:01it would have been a real medieval stronghold.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05It was apparently built on three sides of this courtyard here,
0:19:05 > 0:19:07with a large tower in the far corner
0:19:07 > 0:19:11and a really imposing gatehouse at the edge of the bridge.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14Although it doesn't look like much today, in the 15th century,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17it would have been one of the most imposing castles in Scotland.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29The castle was started more than a century before the chapel.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32And work continued on it throughout the Hundred Years War.
0:19:32 > 0:19:37A conflict in which the Scots supported the French.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40This close association between Scotland and France
0:19:40 > 0:19:44led the lifestyles of some Scottish nobles
0:19:44 > 0:19:46to become increasingly cosmopolitan.
0:19:46 > 0:19:52The St Clairs enjoyed a lavish way of life with continental tastes,
0:19:52 > 0:19:56and had their pick of the finest wines imported from Bordeaux.
0:19:59 > 0:20:00Today, parts of the castle
0:20:00 > 0:20:03still have a strongly medieval feel to them.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11The lower floors haven't been touched for centuries.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15And, frankly, I must admit, they look like it.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24It's hard to imagine these walls were once covered
0:20:24 > 0:20:28by rich tapestries, and the rooms filled with exquisite furniture.
0:20:36 > 0:20:41Sadly, these rooms have become little more than damp dungeons.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45Yet they must once have been the scenes of great banquets
0:20:45 > 0:20:46and sumptuous living.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55When Sir William St Clair inherited the title in 1420,
0:20:55 > 0:20:58he used his vast wealth to expand the castle.
0:20:58 > 0:21:04He hired teams of masons to build new stone walls and bridges.
0:21:08 > 0:21:13But he dreamt of building a completely new and special place.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16A site of extraordinary inspirational carvings
0:21:16 > 0:21:19that would be unique to Scotland.
0:21:19 > 0:21:24He started making plans for the construction of Rosslyn Chapel.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40I often hear people comment on the modest size of the chapel,
0:21:40 > 0:21:43given its massive worldwide fame.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47Modest or not, it still took 40 years to build.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49But sadly, Sir William died
0:21:49 > 0:21:52before he could complete his ambitious architectural vision.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58It was a common belief amongst wealthy nobles
0:21:58 > 0:22:00that building a private church
0:22:00 > 0:22:04would be rewarded by God with a passport to heaven.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10Before long, a rather serious game of one-upmanship had begun,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13with each noble trying to out-build the other.
0:22:15 > 0:22:20Sir William certainly had no intention of being outdone by anyone.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22His original plan was to build
0:22:22 > 0:22:25a much more substantial Rosslyn Church,
0:22:25 > 0:22:28double the length of the current Chapel.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32And there are several clues to be found in the existing building.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34The evidence is that we've got
0:22:34 > 0:22:36this external feature of this string course,
0:22:36 > 0:22:40OK, and, um... this has a job to do.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42Part of the role of this piece of stone
0:22:42 > 0:22:46is to protect the foot of the wall from rainwater
0:22:46 > 0:22:49that will inevitably run down this external wall.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53On the other side, the string course isn't there. There's no need for it.
0:22:53 > 0:22:54So this is an external feature.
0:22:54 > 0:22:59It's really charming to see that it's almost as though the mason
0:22:59 > 0:23:01has kind of just gone off for his lunch.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05So what you've got is this lovely profile continuing along here,
0:23:05 > 0:23:06and then it begins to return.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09- So there's the joint.- So it does! A nice little corner.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12And then it's going to come along out that way.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15But, of course, it never got built.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17It never, ever got that far.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21So one of the obvious differences then is some of these details here.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24That and then those niches, I suppose,
0:23:24 > 0:23:28that would have been on the inside, if this had been the wall?
0:23:28 > 0:23:33Precisely. There's nothing above that element to protect it from rainwater,
0:23:33 > 0:23:37because it was never envisaged that it would be exposed to the weather.
0:23:37 > 0:23:38No, of course.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43So, if we progress down this wall,
0:23:43 > 0:23:45we've actually got this piece here,
0:23:45 > 0:23:49which was presumably where the aisle went.
0:23:49 > 0:23:50It was always envisaged then
0:23:50 > 0:23:53that the aisle would have continued through here.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55and we'd now be standing pretty much
0:23:55 > 0:23:58at the edge of the tower that was planned.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00So, an enormous tower was planned.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04One that could have been visible from Edinburgh, so it's written.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07And it would have just gone whoosh from here.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13Yes, that would have been a very impressive bit of building.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15'The foundation stones of the bigger building
0:24:15 > 0:24:19'extended 34 metres beyond the chapel.'
0:24:20 > 0:24:23So, this is the original construction.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25So this is the original wall here.
0:24:25 > 0:24:30So what we're going to do is we're going to pace out that way.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32Oh, yes. Right. I'll take my lead from you.
0:24:32 > 0:24:381, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
0:24:38 > 0:24:408, 9, 10, 11,
0:24:40 > 0:24:4312, 13, 14, 15,
0:24:43 > 0:24:4616, 17, 18, 19, 20,
0:24:46 > 0:24:5021, 22, 23, 24, 25,
0:24:50 > 0:24:5326, 27, 28, 29, 30,
0:24:53 > 0:24:5931, 32, 33, 34...metres.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03And this is as far as the chapel was expected to extend.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05Oh, I see.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07I've never thought to work that out.
0:25:07 > 0:25:12But even though the chapel was never completed, what it lacks in scale,
0:25:12 > 0:25:17it more than makes up for in beauty and architectural significance.
0:25:19 > 0:25:20There are numerous theories
0:25:20 > 0:25:23about what inspired the design of Rosslyn Chapel.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27Some suggest that it was built as a smaller version
0:25:27 > 0:25:30of the ancient Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem.
0:25:30 > 0:25:35But I just wonder if the truth might lie much closer to home.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40I've come west to visit Glasgow Cathedral.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42I've never been here before.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45But the design of the cathedral's choir,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48built a couple of hundred years before Rosslyn Chapel,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51is said to be very similar. I've asked Brian Park,
0:25:51 > 0:25:55Rosslyn's conservation architect, to show me around.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01'As we walk into the choir section,
0:26:01 > 0:26:04'I can hardly believe what I see before me.'
0:26:05 > 0:26:07Look at this.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10It is extraordinary! You really get that sense.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15The layout's absolutely the same, isn't it?
0:26:15 > 0:26:18What's so extraordinary is it has such a different effect.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21- Soaring to the heavens. - Indeed, indeed.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23Which is not really the effect at Rosslyn.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25The scale of the section is quite different,
0:26:25 > 0:26:28while proportionately the plan is very similar.
0:26:31 > 0:26:36The similarity between the rather dark choir area here at Glasgow
0:26:36 > 0:26:41and the whitewashed chapel back at Rosslyn is striking.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48There is exactly the same number of pillars
0:26:48 > 0:26:50and they are in exactly the same arrangement.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00It's quite interesting to think that this was started,
0:27:00 > 0:27:03what, 200, 100 years before Rosslyn?
0:27:03 > 0:27:06Probably closer to 200 years before Rosslyn.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09Much of Glasgow Cathedral goes back to the 13th century,
0:27:09 > 0:27:11and the choir here would have been extant
0:27:11 > 0:27:14when Rosslyn was being constructed.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22So this is a great place to stand and get a real vision
0:27:22 > 0:27:25of what Sir William must have had in mind.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28I mean, it was a hugely ambitious vision he must have had.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31- He wanted to create something this size.- Hugely ambitious.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33If we were standing in Rosslyn,
0:27:33 > 0:27:36and had Sir William built the whole thing,
0:27:36 > 0:27:38we would be looking at a similar view.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42So, at Rosslyn, we would now be looking now at the organ gallery.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45If the nave had been built, we would have had a similar view to here.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49Slightly different scale, but that sense of running right through
0:27:49 > 0:27:51to the nave and a fantastic west window.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54Whereas, what we actually have is a wall
0:27:54 > 0:27:57- at the level of that balcony there. - That's right.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01Seeing this, it seems highly likely
0:28:01 > 0:28:04that Sir William was influenced by this cathedral
0:28:04 > 0:28:07when he designed Rosslyn Chapel.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09After all, in Sir William's day,
0:28:09 > 0:28:13Glasgow was only a two-day horse ride from Rosslyn.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21But he didn't set out just to build a replica of Glasgow Cathedral.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24His plans were far more ambitious than that.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30Sir William got his stonemasons
0:28:30 > 0:28:33to cover every single surface of his chapel
0:28:33 > 0:28:35with exquisite carvings.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43It's this abundance of sculptures and designs
0:28:43 > 0:28:46that really sets Rosslyn Chapel apart
0:28:46 > 0:28:49from almost any other building in the world.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56Everywhere you look, inside and out,
0:28:56 > 0:28:58are carved images upon carved images.
0:29:01 > 0:29:03As one might expect in a family chapel,
0:29:03 > 0:29:07there are several carvings that relate to the St Clairs.
0:29:08 > 0:29:12Almost hidden from view at the back of the building
0:29:12 > 0:29:16is a carving of the chapel's founder, Sir William.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19Building Rosslyn also gave him the chance
0:29:19 > 0:29:24to honour the important achievements of his ancestors.
0:29:24 > 0:29:28Another carving depicts the first St Clair to settle in Britain,
0:29:28 > 0:29:34William the Seemly, on his horse, escorting the Anglo-Saxon Princess Margaret to Scotland.
0:29:36 > 0:29:41But the meanings behind some of the chapel's carvings are far from clear.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45In amongst images of plants and animals,
0:29:45 > 0:29:50there are strange mutant figures of mysterious so-called green men.
0:29:52 > 0:29:56Some of the plant-like carvings may have been inspired by the drawings
0:29:56 > 0:30:00found in the margins of medieval illuminated manuscripts.
0:30:02 > 0:30:07In a chapel, you might expect to find biblical stories or moral tales,
0:30:07 > 0:30:14but one of the lovely things about this place is that it's absolutely bursting with plant imagery.
0:30:14 > 0:30:18Flowers, leaves. And here is a really good example.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21This string course that frames the windows
0:30:21 > 0:30:25has got in amongst the leaves a green man's face.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27The green man is a face
0:30:27 > 0:30:31with leaves traditionally coming out of its mouth
0:30:31 > 0:30:34and blending into a bed of foliage behind.
0:30:34 > 0:30:39And whilst they're not very common in buildings in Scotland,
0:30:39 > 0:30:41we have over 100 here at Rosslyn.
0:30:43 > 0:30:47There are many theories about the origins of green men.
0:30:47 > 0:30:52Some say they are old pagan symbols representing nature and rebirth.
0:30:52 > 0:30:58Others say they are Christian images that represented man's sinful origins in nature.
0:31:04 > 0:31:09It is quite incredible to think that the Rosslyn stonemasons created
0:31:09 > 0:31:13each of these carvings from rough blocks of shapeless sandstone.
0:31:13 > 0:31:18It took about 10,000 such stones to construct Rosslyn Chapel.
0:31:18 > 0:31:23And extracting them from the medieval quarries would have been no small feat.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31To find out how the stonemasons acquired their rocks,
0:31:31 > 0:31:36I'm paying a visit to Marcus Payne, director of the Hutton Stone Company.
0:31:40 > 0:31:45He runs one of the last active quarries in Scotland, just 30 miles from Rosslyn.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53There is quite a variation in colour in here,
0:31:53 > 0:31:56from buff to a sort of bluey-grey.
0:31:56 > 0:32:02So obviously you've got this modern machinery here, but is the process more or less the same?
0:32:02 > 0:32:04Or is it really highly developed?
0:32:04 > 0:32:07The process is virtually the same.
0:32:07 > 0:32:12The large excavator replaces many men
0:32:12 > 0:32:17and really is nothing more than a very large crowbar.
0:32:20 > 0:32:25The actual process of working several layers back at a time,
0:32:25 > 0:32:28so you reveal the top bed of each stone,
0:32:28 > 0:32:32so that you can find the natural faults is exactly the same.
0:32:32 > 0:32:37Today, the stone is split using a pneumatic drill.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40But in the 15th century, it all had to be done manually.
0:32:40 > 0:32:45We're going to split a block by hand, to show you how they would have done it.
0:32:45 > 0:32:49- That's really interesting.- The only thing we won't do, they used to split them with wooden wedges,
0:32:49 > 0:32:54but they would soak them in water and leave them for days and I don't think we've time to do that.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57Fair enough.
0:32:57 > 0:33:02So this is how it's been split out for many, many years.
0:33:02 > 0:33:06As he goes along the pins,
0:33:06 > 0:33:10he's listening to hear each pin tension up,
0:33:10 > 0:33:14so that they all begin to ring at the same tension,
0:33:14 > 0:33:18which means the tension is even, so the split is controlled.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21You can hear them starting to...
0:33:23 > 0:33:26There you go. You can start to see the split.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28It's starting to come along.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31You can tell which ones are doing the work now.
0:33:33 > 0:33:38Just that ring and also you can feel it in the handle of the hammer.
0:33:40 > 0:33:42So it's doing more work.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10- What a fabulous piece of stone that is.- Yeah.
0:34:10 > 0:34:16So, exciting for you then, when you find a piece that you consider is going to be a good piece of stone.
0:34:16 > 0:34:20- A really big, special piece. - To be honest, we never tire
0:34:20 > 0:34:24of finding really fantastic pieces of stone.
0:34:24 > 0:34:28Sometimes, we might find a piece of stone here five metres long.
0:34:28 > 0:34:33And that's just a fantastic thing for us. We're still childish enough to get excited about that.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36I can understand it, actually, when you see the process there.
0:34:38 > 0:34:45It would have taken dozens of men several years to produce enough stones for Rosslyn Chapel.
0:34:45 > 0:34:49Today, it would take a few men just a month.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52But getting the rock out of the ground is only the first step.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55The rocks then need be cut into neatly shaped stones
0:34:55 > 0:34:59before they can be sent to the stonemasons for carving.
0:35:08 > 0:35:13As winter turns to spring, the conservation work at Rosslyn picks up pace,
0:35:13 > 0:35:18and I've got a chance to see some of the modern stonemasons' skills in practice.
0:35:19 > 0:35:26The emphasis at Rosslyn is on preserving the existing stone carvings, not replacing them.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29But one exception is a damaged tracery stone
0:35:29 > 0:35:34supporting one of the stained glass windows.
0:35:34 > 0:35:40Greg is the mason responsible for carving its 300 kilogram replacement.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47- It's great to see it coming along so well.- Yeah.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49You've made huge progress.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52- How long have you been working on this already?- Two weeks.
0:35:54 > 0:36:00These particular areas here are going to have a leafy carved finish.
0:36:00 > 0:36:04- Which you'll do?- Yeah. I'll do the whole thing.- Fantastic.
0:36:04 > 0:36:08- So this is going to take me a little while.- What do you estimate?
0:36:08 > 0:36:13- You've done two weeks already. - I'm thinking hopefully in another three weeks.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16So you're obviously a real perfectionist, then?
0:36:16 > 0:36:19- Well, I.... - You must be. Look at these.
0:36:19 > 0:36:21They're so beautifully done.
0:36:21 > 0:36:27This is it. The craftsmanship of the original is high standard.
0:36:27 > 0:36:33In those days, they had a lot of time and they had a lot of passion
0:36:33 > 0:36:35for what they were doing.
0:36:35 > 0:36:40I think they probably had quite a lot of religious aspects to the work.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43- So they felt they were doing it for God or something?- Perhaps.
0:36:43 > 0:36:50The only difference is that I'm using tungsten to cut the stone.
0:36:50 > 0:36:54In those days, it would have been just sharpened steel.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59- You must get terribly achy hands with all that vibrating?- Yeah.
0:36:59 > 0:37:06I think a lot of the conception it's quite romantic to be a stonemason, carving all this stuff.
0:37:06 > 0:37:10But in reality, it is very, very hard work.
0:37:10 > 0:37:15You're often out in the open, in the elements. It's cold.
0:37:15 > 0:37:20My hands are quite sore. Even though I've been doing this for 15 years.
0:37:20 > 0:37:24At times, you does get very cramped hands and you get...
0:37:24 > 0:37:27- Slip and hit yourself? - No, it's just wear.
0:37:27 > 0:37:31With the chisel resting on that part of your thumb.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34- And you get a different-sized thumb! - Oh, really?
0:37:34 > 0:37:38- So, you can tell a stonemason!- Yeah. - But worth it?
0:37:38 > 0:37:42It is. It's very satisfying, when you can create something
0:37:42 > 0:37:47and stand back and think, "Well, that's going to be there for...
0:37:47 > 0:37:50"I don't know how many years. It'll be here when I'm gone,"
0:37:50 > 0:37:53- and that's a nice feeling. - That's a great feeling.
0:37:53 > 0:37:59- When you look up at that east window, you'll be able to think, "I did that."- Definitely.- Fantastic.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03During the original 15th-century construction process,
0:38:03 > 0:38:09there would have been several specialist masons like Greg working at Rosslyn.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12But the sad fact is, we don't even know their names.
0:38:12 > 0:38:19The only clues to their identities are the strange, so-called mason's marks on the stones.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22They've often been thought of as something mysterious or secretive,
0:38:22 > 0:38:25but in fact, they're really a bit like a painter's signature.
0:38:25 > 0:38:29They're just the personal marks cut by individual masons
0:38:29 > 0:38:35to identify the work they've done, to make sure they got paid for it.
0:38:35 > 0:38:39The conservation team has noticed that a few of the masons' marks
0:38:39 > 0:38:42resembled those from a nearby ruined monastery.
0:38:44 > 0:38:46Melrose Abbey is only 30 miles from Rosslyn.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50And Sir William would certainly have come here.
0:38:50 > 0:38:57Dr Richard Fawcett, the principal inspector of ancient monuments for Historic Scotland,
0:38:57 > 0:38:59has agreed to show me round.
0:39:14 > 0:39:20During the Reformation, Protestant mobs destroyed many of the stone carvings,
0:39:20 > 0:39:23but scattered about are nearly 100 that survived.
0:39:39 > 0:39:44It really must've been one of the most impressive churches ever built in Scotland.
0:39:44 > 0:39:49In fact, one of the most impressive churches ever built in Britain.
0:39:49 > 0:39:53What I find rather exciting about this part of the church,
0:39:53 > 0:39:55is that you get a very good indication
0:39:55 > 0:39:59of the change of attitudes to architectural design
0:39:59 > 0:40:02that you're getting in the later Middle Ages in Scotland.
0:40:02 > 0:40:06In the very earliest part, you have a very English building.
0:40:06 > 0:40:10You see that best of all in that very rectilinear tracery.
0:40:10 > 0:40:15- Yes.- It looks almost as if it was designed on, um... a piece of graph paper.
0:40:15 > 0:40:20But then there's a great change in the window that you can see just there.
0:40:20 > 0:40:25You can probably see that that's designed in a much more flowing way.
0:40:25 > 0:40:30Yes, it is, isn't it? What do you think were the influences for the change there?
0:40:30 > 0:40:32Well, it is rather intriguing
0:40:32 > 0:40:36because it's the sort of design that when you first look at it,
0:40:36 > 0:40:39you might think that it's harking back
0:40:39 > 0:40:43to old and abandoned English types of tracery design.
0:40:43 > 0:40:51But that sort of design was being taken up on the Continent in the very late 14th century.
0:40:51 > 0:40:57In fact here at Melrose we're particularly fortunate that we have an inscription over there
0:40:57 > 0:41:02which says there was a French-born mason called John Morow at work here.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05And I think it's pretty much certain that he was responsible
0:41:05 > 0:41:08for the change in design of the window tracery.
0:41:08 > 0:41:12How interesting. So you feel there's a bit of a French influence?
0:41:12 > 0:41:15I think it's actually built by a French mason.
0:41:15 > 0:41:21And the rather nice thing about John Morow is that he was no shrinking violet
0:41:21 > 0:41:24when it came to making claims for what he'd done
0:41:24 > 0:41:30and on the inscription there, he very carefully lists some of the other buildings he'd worked on.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33So you can see, "John Morow sum tym callit
0:41:33 > 0:41:36"was I and born in Parysse certainly
0:41:36 > 0:41:40"and had in kepyng al mason werk of Santandrays
0:41:40 > 0:41:44"ye hye kirk of Glasgw, Melros and Paslay..."
0:41:44 > 0:41:50And you can see he goes on to "Nyddsdayll"...
0:41:50 > 0:41:52So I think we have to be very grateful indeed to him.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54Absolutely. That's a wonderful record.
0:41:54 > 0:41:58If only more medieval architects were quite so arrogant,
0:41:58 > 0:42:01we'd have a much fuller record of what it was they did.
0:42:01 > 0:42:07- You can see there is was the original outside wall of the church that was started in 1385.- Oh, yes.
0:42:07 > 0:42:13When John Morow came along, he decided to add this row of chapels on the outside.
0:42:13 > 0:42:18This sort of row chapels on one side of the nave, is something you find
0:42:18 > 0:42:21in quite a lot of continental Cistercian houses.
0:42:21 > 0:42:23So I think it was John Morow bringing the idea over.
0:42:23 > 0:42:29What is so exciting is that he must have been one of the main channels
0:42:29 > 0:42:34by which these French ideas were introduced into Scotland
0:42:34 > 0:42:39and I think what we then see at Rosslyn some decades later
0:42:39 > 0:42:43is a mason who is trying to reflect these French ideas,
0:42:43 > 0:42:48without quite understanding them, it has to be said.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51I think what we find at Rosslyn is an attempt
0:42:51 > 0:42:57to produce a building with something of the cosmopolitan French veneer
0:42:57 > 0:43:02by somebody who only was aware of these things at second hand.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04Oh, that is very interesting.
0:43:04 > 0:43:08So they went for a rather over-abundance of the French features?
0:43:08 > 0:43:15Yes, you almost get the feeling in parts of Rosslyn that they didn't know when to stop.
0:43:16 > 0:43:20There are a lot of similarities here with Rosslyn Chapel.
0:43:20 > 0:43:24At the top of the Abbey I even find a carved green man.
0:43:28 > 0:43:32Oh! Look at that! There's one of your green men.
0:43:32 > 0:43:36- Yes, yes.- It is really nice to see some of these little details here.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39This is very reminiscent of some of the carvings we have at Rosslyn.
0:43:39 > 0:43:43Absolutely. Except that at Rosslyn you have an awful lot of it piled on,
0:43:43 > 0:43:45- carving piled on carving.- Yes.
0:43:45 > 0:43:48And these great gargoyles.
0:43:48 > 0:43:49Yes.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52As you can see, the famous pig over there.
0:43:52 > 0:43:54- Where is he?- Over there.
0:43:54 > 0:43:56Yes, I see!
0:43:56 > 0:43:59I've heard so much about him.
0:43:59 > 0:44:01- He's the pig with the bagpipes? - Yes, uh-huh.
0:44:03 > 0:44:06I am fascinated by Richard's belief that a French stonemason
0:44:06 > 0:44:10was responsible for many of the carvings at Melrose Abbey.
0:44:10 > 0:44:13A French influence on the construction of Rosslyn Chapel
0:44:13 > 0:44:19is also certainly plausible as the St Clair family originated in Normandy.
0:44:19 > 0:44:24And that is where I am heading next. To the birthplace of the St Clairs.
0:44:38 > 0:44:39It was from here,
0:44:39 > 0:44:42just 30 miles to the north-west of Paris,
0:44:42 > 0:44:44in the town of St-Clair-sur-Epte
0:44:44 > 0:44:48that Sir William's Norman ancestors took their surname.
0:44:56 > 0:45:00This unassuming stone tablet marks the beginnings of Normandy
0:45:00 > 0:45:06because as it says, in 911, in St-Clair-sur-Epte
0:45:06 > 0:45:14was concluded the treaty which established, in France, Rollo and the Normans.
0:45:21 > 0:45:28During the late 9th century, this year was frequently invaded by Scandinavian Norsemen.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31In the year 911, after decades of fighting,
0:45:31 > 0:45:38the French king signed an agreement with Sir William's ancestor, the Viking leader Rollo,
0:45:38 > 0:45:43creating the province of Normandy and making Rollo the first duke.
0:45:47 > 0:45:54Rollo went on to make the city of Rouen the capital of his newly-formed province.
0:45:54 > 0:45:58Over the next century, a new, ornate style of architecture
0:45:58 > 0:46:02developed that was eventually given the name of Gothic.
0:46:06 > 0:46:11In 1063, Rouen cathedral was completed,
0:46:11 > 0:46:15a classic example of this new architecture.
0:46:36 > 0:46:40Two of the most striking characteristics of Gothic church architecture
0:46:40 > 0:46:43are the tall, pointed windows and arches
0:46:43 > 0:46:46and the ribbed vaulting across the ceilings.
0:46:46 > 0:46:54In fact in France another name for Gothic is le style ogival - ogive being a rib.
0:46:54 > 0:46:58And the point of these two features is that they draw our eyes
0:46:58 > 0:47:02up towards the heavens, to remind us of the power and importance of God.
0:47:23 > 0:47:28And there is even more for me here than the Gothic architecture.
0:47:28 > 0:47:34The cathedral is the final resting place of the great St Clair ancestor himself.
0:47:36 > 0:47:41This is quite special because this is the resting place of Rollo
0:47:41 > 0:47:43from whom the St Clair family is descended.
0:47:43 > 0:47:48Rollo is the son of Rognvald the Mighty, chief of the Orkneys
0:47:48 > 0:47:52and he was made the First Duke of Normandy in the 10th century.
0:47:52 > 0:47:56So it is quite possible that Sir William St Clair, when visiting Normandy,
0:47:56 > 0:47:57would have come to this place
0:47:57 > 0:48:02and you can imagine how he would have been inspired by this wonderful architecture.
0:48:04 > 0:48:10400 years after Rollo's death, Gothic architecture was at its height.
0:48:10 > 0:48:1615th-century French masons had a reputation as being among the very best in the world.
0:48:18 > 0:48:25It was just at this time that the young Frenchman, John Morow, started his stonemasonry training in Paris.
0:48:25 > 0:48:31He would have trained first as an apprentice, then travelled from site to site as a journeyman.
0:48:31 > 0:48:35Then, perhaps after a decade, he would acquire the skills
0:48:35 > 0:48:39and experience necessary to become a master mason.
0:48:45 > 0:48:49The craft of stonemasonry is still taken very seriously in France
0:48:49 > 0:48:54and the tradition of stonemasonry schools continues today.
0:48:54 > 0:48:57In Normandy, a master mason, Philippe Giraud,
0:48:57 > 0:49:01regularly works on 15th-century manor houses made of stone.
0:49:01 > 0:49:06He also runs a masonry school for up-and-coming apprentices.
0:49:06 > 0:49:10To give me an idea of how the medieval masons would've worked,
0:49:10 > 0:49:15Philippe has offered to carve a green man from a photograph I took of Melrose Abbey.
0:49:20 > 0:49:22TRANSLATION:
0:50:31 > 0:50:35It is tempting to speculate how similar Philippe might be
0:50:35 > 0:50:39to Melrose Abbey's fifteenth-century French Mason, John Morow.
0:50:39 > 0:50:45He has impressive masonry skills, an artistic vision and a great love of stonework.
0:50:45 > 0:50:49All attributes that I assume must also have applied to John Morow.
0:50:52 > 0:50:56The ability of French stonemasons to produce such incredibly-fine carvings
0:50:56 > 0:51:02would certainly have caught the eye of the founder of Rosslyn Chapel, Sir William St Clair.
0:51:04 > 0:51:11In 1434 he escorted the Scottish King's daughter, Margaret, to the city of Tours just south of Normandy,
0:51:11 > 0:51:15to be married to the future King of France, Louis XI,
0:51:15 > 0:51:18here at Tours Cathedral.
0:51:25 > 0:51:30Sir William's future wife Elizabeth also had strong links with Tours.
0:51:30 > 0:51:34Her father, the powerful Forth Earl of Douglas,
0:51:34 > 0:51:40had been created the First Duke of Touraine for his support of France against the English.
0:51:40 > 0:51:47Douglas was a great patron of stonemasonry in Scotland, with close connections to Melrose Abbey
0:51:47 > 0:51:55and it is highly likely that it was he who took the French mason John Morow over to Scotland.
0:51:55 > 0:51:59We will probably never know for sure but it is certainly possible
0:51:59 > 0:52:03that it was here at Tours that William St Clair met Elizabeth Douglas
0:52:03 > 0:52:05who was to become his wife.
0:52:05 > 0:52:10And it is surely no coincidence that there are so many architectural features here
0:52:10 > 0:52:12that remind me of Rosslyn Chapel.
0:52:16 > 0:52:23Those wonderful flying buttresses are such a majestic example of flamboyant Gothic architecture.
0:52:23 > 0:52:28It is really easy to imagine how Sir William St Clair might have been inspired
0:52:28 > 0:52:30to follow in his father-in-law's footsteps
0:52:30 > 0:52:36and become a patron of architectural arts in Scotland.
0:52:38 > 0:52:41So maybe we're close to solving a mystery -
0:52:41 > 0:52:45the identity of the stonemasons of Rosslyn.
0:52:45 > 0:52:49If Sir William knew the Gothic cathedrals of northern France
0:52:49 > 0:52:56and married Elizabeth Douglas, could he also have used her father's master mason Morow
0:52:56 > 0:53:02or perhaps his apprentices to create his own unique chapel here at Rosslyn?
0:53:05 > 0:53:10On my return from Tours, I find carvings that have a connection to France
0:53:10 > 0:53:12that I have never noticed before.
0:53:17 > 0:53:21I've spent so much time at Rosslyn Chapel but it is wonderful
0:53:21 > 0:53:25when something happens that makes you see things with new eyes.
0:53:25 > 0:53:29And my trip to France did exactly that.
0:53:29 > 0:53:35I have now noticed that on the coat of arms of Elizabeth Douglas,
0:53:35 > 0:53:40Sir William St Clair's first wife, there are three fleurs-de-lys.
0:53:40 > 0:53:43The fleur-de-lys is the emblem of Tourenne
0:53:43 > 0:53:46and appears everywhere at Tours Cathedral.
0:53:46 > 0:53:53And that really suggests that there is a link between Tourenne and Rosslyn.
0:53:53 > 0:53:55And another thing that I have noticed
0:53:55 > 0:54:02it is that whilst I had thought that all these were angels here, there is one with no wings.
0:54:02 > 0:54:06And she's a beautiful lady holding a rosary
0:54:06 > 0:54:11and I just wonder whether it might be a carved portrait
0:54:11 > 0:54:15of Sir William's first wife, Elizabeth Douglas.
0:54:15 > 0:54:17It is a lovely thought.
0:54:17 > 0:54:24After all, I do feel a certain connection to her as we both married into the St Clair family.
0:54:29 > 0:54:34While I was away in Normandy, the conservation work on the chapel continued
0:54:34 > 0:54:38and I'm thrilled to see that the new lead roof is nearly complete.
0:54:48 > 0:54:53It is so exciting to be up here, watching the final part of the process
0:54:53 > 0:54:56of putting a lead covering on top of the chapel roof
0:54:56 > 0:55:00because once this is done we can then take off the canopy
0:55:00 > 0:55:04which has been shielding the chapel for over a decade.
0:55:05 > 0:55:11After three weeks, the 300-kilogram tracery stone Greg was carving
0:55:11 > 0:55:16is now 100 kilograms lighter and is slotted into the east window.
0:55:16 > 0:55:18It is too much, just 10mm.
0:55:18 > 0:55:22That's the one. That's it. Yep.
0:55:22 > 0:55:26It is all fitting and lining up really nicely there.
0:55:26 > 0:55:29It is really nice to see this lined up perfectly.
0:55:36 > 0:55:41And finally, after 13 years of covering the chapel, the canopy starts to come down.
0:56:04 > 0:56:11At last, the moment I'd been waiting for, my first glimpse of the outside of the chapel without the canopy.
0:56:20 > 0:56:22BELLS RING
0:56:22 > 0:56:26It's Sunday and everyone in Rosslyn has come to witness
0:56:26 > 0:56:32the first service for ages without the scaffolding inside the chapel.
0:56:32 > 0:56:38It is an important moment for the building, the congregation and my family,
0:56:38 > 0:56:46especially for my husband, the Seventh Earl of Rosslyn, a direct descendant of the chapel's founder.
0:56:51 > 0:56:56It's wonderful to experience the stone carvings again as Sir William St Clair intended,
0:56:56 > 0:57:02as part of the religious fabric of the building, accompanied by hymns and prayers.
0:57:08 > 0:57:13It was so exciting to hear the chapel bells ringing out this morning for the service
0:57:13 > 0:57:14for the first time in 13 years
0:57:14 > 0:57:19and then to walk into the chapel and see the ceiling revealed in all its glory.
0:57:19 > 0:57:22There was a buzz about the whole service in fact
0:57:22 > 0:57:26because it really feels as if the chapel is coming back to life.
0:57:32 > 0:57:35However outlandish some of the theories about Rosslyn might be,
0:57:35 > 0:57:39the remarkable truth is that over 500 years ago,
0:57:39 > 0:57:45the most talented craftsmen in Europe found their way to this corner of Scotland
0:57:45 > 0:57:49to create some of the finest religious carvings in the world.
0:57:49 > 0:57:57The original purpose of these largely unknown artists was to celebrate the glory of God.
0:57:57 > 0:58:00But their enduring legacy, over the ages,
0:58:00 > 0:58:05has been to create this astounding treasure in stone,
0:58:05 > 0:58:09a masterpiece to fire the imagination for generations to come.
0:58:43 > 0:58:46Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:46 > 0:58:49E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk