21/11/2023
The Sinclairs of Rosslyn
It is impossible to tell the story of Freemasonry, without referring to the Clan Sinclair.
Prince Henry St. Clair, Earl of Orkney, offered refuge to the Templars upon his land in Scotland. In 1398, one hundred years before Columbus arrived in the New World, Henry St. Clair sailed to what is known today as Nova Scotia. His arrival was recorded in the tribal history of the Mi’kmaq Indians.
Further evidence of his expedition to the New World is found in Rosslyn Chapel, which is, in actuality, a Templar shrine. In addition to the Pre-Christian Green Man, scenes from the Old and New Testaments, and decorative elements of the Knights Templar, there are representations of maize and aloe, which would have been unknown before Henry St. Clair arrived in the New World.
In 1440 William St. Clair began the construction of Rosslyn Chapel based on the floor plan of the Third Temple, built in Jerusalem by Herod.
According to History of Clan Sinclair, masons working on the project were given “The Mason Word” by William St. Clair, to preserve the secrets of the Templars that Rosslyn was built to house.
What may, or may not, have been housed at Rosslyn Chapel is the subject of much speculation. It has been theorized that everything from the Ark of the Covenant to the Holy Grail, to a Secret Testament of Jesus, to the Genealogy of the Descendants of Jesus and Mary are hidden beneath the floor of Rosslyn Chapel.
What is certain is that on the lower frame of the window in the southwest corner of Rosslyn Chapel, there is a carving of the Masonic First Degree. The image is that of a man kneeling between two pillars. He is blindfolded and has a noose around his neck. His feet are in an unnatural position. In his left hand, he holds a Bible. The end of the noose is held by a man who is wearing the mantle of the Knights Templar.
