While viewing the Rosslyn Chapel videotape, I noticed a mention that Earl
William who built it was a member of a society whose members had made the
pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostelo. This was a fairly common thing to
do in those days, when most of Spain was occupied by the Muslim Moors, and
the pilgrimage route to that far northwest corner of Spain to see the remains
of St. James the Apostle helped prevent the rest of Spain from being lost to
Christendom. It was such a bonding experience that Goethe supposedly even
said that "Europe was made on the road to Compostelo."
And after all, Earl William's great-great-grandfather of the same name
died at the battle of Teba, fighting the Moors, so there was some family
tradition of interest in Spain.
What I wonder is whether, since the cathedral in Compostelo is a few
centuries older than Rosslyn Chapel, did Earl William find some useful
architectural or decorative ideas that he used in the Chapel?
John S. Quarterman <jsq@matrix.net>
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