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Home , Robert Langdon, Rosslyn Chapel, The Da Vinci Code, The Da Vinci Code (play)

Discussion Topic 8

The Da Vinci Code

Perhaps you have seen before? Some of the final scenes of the movie ‘’ take place in Rosslyn Chapel.

Here, the main character, Langdon ends up in Rosslyn Chapel after he cracks a code hidden in an ancient object. He visits the Chapel with Sophie Neveu, a young French woman who has followed him all over Europe trying to find the killer of her grandfather.

Her grandfather, it seems, wanted to pass on a great secret to her, but was killed before he could do so. Their travels take them to many famous places in Europe, many of which have been linked with stories of the and of the , and many of which are linked to the idea of the Rose. Solving the secret of the was at the heart of The Da Vinci Code. At Rosslyn Chapel, Langdon and Sophie meet a mysterious group of people. These are people who are part of a secret The secret is that the Grail was , the carrier organisation. This organisation has protected the secret of of ’ children. They reveal that Mary was once buried in the Holy Grail since the time of Jesus. Rosslyn Chapel. They also reveal that Sophie is a descendent of Mary and so a living descendent of Jesus. They vow to protect her for the rest of her life.

This film is based on a book by . Some say this book should just be treated as an interesting read and not as containing any truth. Others believe there is truth in his book.

There are many different opinions about Dan Brown’s book and there can be quite heated discussion about it. Is The Da Vinci Code just an interesting book and enjoyable movie? Does it mix up facts and fiction so that we don’t know which is which any more?

Is Rosslyn Chapel’s place in the story just part of a made-up story? Or did the Chapel really play such a big part in the tale because it does indeed hold the secret of the Holy Grail or of Mary Magdalene?

Is The Da Vinci Code pointing to the truth or just a story? A still from the film The Da Vinci Code which was partly set in Is Rosslyn Chapel more than a building, or is the building Rosslyn Chapel. itself something to be treasured?

1 The Da Vinci Code

Investigate

• The Da Vinci Code produced a lot of disagreement and even some strong arguments. What were the arguments about? What different views were held by the different sides in the argument? • According to the book and the film, what part did Rosslyn Chapel play in the story?

Rosslyn Chapel has fascinated people over the centuries; this • Which parts of the story do some image of the Chapel dates from 1693. claim are fact and some are fiction?

Think it through Big Questions • Why do you think some people For many, The Da Vinci Code is just were very annoyed by The Da Vinci a story, for others it contains truths. Code book and film? How do we work out in our life what • Do you think they were right to is true and what is not? How do we be annoyed? reach agreements when people have different versions of the truth? (and do • Some people think you should refuse to read a book or see a film we always reach agreement?) which you disagree with. Some also feel that The Da Vinci Code What do you think? story was in some way offensive to • Some people may question why their beliefs. Should stories not be told those in charge of Rosslyn Chapel because they may offend people? allowed the church to be used in the making of the film. Were they right to do so? • How might anyone work out what’s fact and fiction in The Da Vinci Code? www.rosslynchapel.com © Joe Walker & Rosslyn Chapel Trust November 2011

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