An Architectural Wonder. 로슬린 채플(Rosslyn Chapel)

An Architectural Wonder.

로슬린 채플(Rosslyn Chapel). 스코틀랜드(Scotland)

rosslynchapel.com

 

Sir William St Clair's plan to build a grand cross-shaped cathedral was never fully realised.

But the Chapel which he did build was still extraordinary. 

 

Many different skills were involved in building the Chapel: from men who quarried the stone in the glen and carried water to the site, to blacksmiths making and constrantly sharpening tools, from the workmen who mixed the mortar to the masons who built the walls. one of the most important jobs was that of the stonecutters, who turned the architect's designs into reality.

 

 

These incised masons' marks from inside the Chapel were made over 500 years ago. They are the masons' signatures in stone. They testify to the personal pride the masons took in their work, and were used to ensure they got paid.

 

In 1446 when the first foundation stone was laid, there was little here other than the towering trees and twisted rock faces of the deep glen. Sir William seems to have been an enlightened employer and upon realising that 'the masons had not a convenient place to lodge in ... he made them build the town of Roslin that now is extant and gave everyone a house and lands.' And so the village of Roslin grew up.

 

 

Although his name is not recorded, an architect or specialised master builder would have worked with Sir William to bring his ambitious plans to life.

The Chapel's medieval architect brought all his technical skills to this project. Aware of the latest architectural developments he introduced the highly fashionable Gothic style to the building, although the Chapel also features elements of earlier Romanesque architecture. Characterised by flying buttresses and pointed arches, the Gothic style allowed the arichitect to build higher and introduce more light into the Chapel.

 

The engraving with its exaggerated height shows the central part of the Chapel with its high vaulted roof, which appears to float unsupported. In earlier buildings the weight of the roof would have required much thicker walls to support it. By changing the way the roof is constructed, the architect could make the walls thinner.

 

 

'The Chapel... is all of free stone, and one of the most curious pieces of old Gothic workmanship in Europe.'

 Dr Forbes, 1778

 

Romanesque architecture is recognisable by its

   

      

 Round arches                                              barrel vaults

 

Gothic architecture is recognisable by its

                            

         

Pointed arches                                             flying buttresses

 

 

Look at the roof in this engraving. Five 'ribs' curve down from the spine, or ridge, of the roof where each meets a flying buttress. These arcs, curving out from the building, carry the weight of the roof and disperse it down into the stone buttress supports below.

 

 

In a final act of daring, the medieval architect pierces the walls at high level with windows, allowing light to flood into the Chapel.

 

Steep stairs in the Chapel lead down to the Sacristy, or crypt. This is the oldest part of the building ans was probably used as a workshop when the upper Chapel was being built. Incised into the left wall of the sacristy are 'working' drawings. Probably drawn as templates for the stonecutters they are remarkable evidence of the Chapel's construction.

 

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