Author and academic Dr Louise Yeoman criticised guides and information boards in Rosslyn Chapel after a recent visit, saying that they should portray the real history of the chapel rather than try to cash in on the popularity of fictional works such as Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, reports The Scotsman.
She also urged for the chapel to be restored to the original purpose intended by its architect.
“William Sinclair built this beautiful church for the saying and the hearing of Mass,” she said.
"He built it for his soul and the souls of his family, yet it has been taken over by a rabble of conspiracy theories, many of them anti-Catholic and absolutely ludicrous.”
Dr Yeoman went on to lambaste the chapel keepers, the Rosslyn Chapel Trust, for perpetuating a false image to cash in on the popularity of Dan Brown’s bestseller.
“The level of misunderstanding and ignorance you need to think this is some sort of pagan, occult conspiracy is huge,” she said.We don’t believe it compromised Rosslyn Chapel in any way and we didn’t take on the filming on the basis that it was going to be advantageous in any way.
Stuart Beattie, Rosslyn Chapel Director
"It is like a biologist being faced by people who think you could actually get all the animals on Noah's Ark.
"There needs to be some sort of proper interpretation telling people that this is a medieval Catholic church, and telling people more about Scottish medieval piety.
"If people want to stuff the bookshop full of that rubbish, then fine, but it should not seep into the official guides or interpretation."
Rosslyn Chapel denied that it was cashing in on the massive success of The Da Vinci Code.Speaking to Christian Today, the chapel’s director, Stuart Beattie, said that although others were in the business of exploiting The Da Vinci Code, Rosslyn Chapel was “in the business of coping with it”.
He stressed that the chapel was still used as a church and that it “had a different criteria before accepting the filming” of The Da Vinci Code.
“We don’t believe it compromised Rosslyn Chapel in any way and we didn’t take on the filming on the basis that it was going to be advantageous in any way.”
