Reviews for Rosslyn and the Grail

The average rating for Rosslyn and the Grail based on 2 reviews is 2.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-08-23 00:00:00 Tammy Lucas C2005. FWFTB: carvings, treasure, medieval, legend, truth. I am an absolute sucker for all things Templar related and Rosslyn always seems to come into the various manufactured myths.The authors are certainly qualified to write such a book and the set out is good. The legend/myth is detailed and then countered with the facts. This works well for the first couple of chapters but then gets a bit repetitive. The sentences become shorter and terser and I could almost feel the authors' impatience with all the pseudo-historians out there.The real gem is the appendices - especially The Templar Trial in Scotland and The Story of the Scottish Templars.As mentioned before, there is no doubting the gravitas of the authors.The dreaded words of the 'Da Vinci' code are on the front cover but I really don't think are needed.The cover has the photograph of a movie prop in the form of the Holy Grail.Definitely recommended for anyone interested in the Templar story and Arthurian myth. It is always interesting to note that the Knights Templars were a really misogynistic bunch. One of the witnesses in the above mentioned trial mentions the following, the Knights should "and never to seek hospitality in a house where a woman lay in childbirth, nor to be present at a wedding, nor at the purification of a woman."

Review # 2 was written on 2011-02-14 00:00:00 Brent Weiner 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.