‘Sumptuous’ Rosslyn Chapel: Pious Experience in Late Medieval Scotland

A hybrid lecture by Dr Lizzie Swarbrick examining Rosslyn Chapel in its late medieval Scottish context, unpicking pseudohistories and exploring sensory spiritual experience.

Dr Lizzie Swarbrick FSAScot delivers this hour-long hybrid talk on Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian, a building long obscured by pseudohistories. The lecture places Rosslyn in its proper context of Scottish late medieval art and architecture, drawing together a variety of buildings and objects to explore how pre-Reformation Scottish churches manipulated the senses to induce profound spiritual experiences. It closes with reflections on the work of Research in Action on Church Heritage and the experiences and possible futures of Scotland's at-risk medieval churches. Note that, unlike the rest of the Society's current public event programme, this event starts at 4pm.