The Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland gained worldwide fame thanks to the novel ‘The Da Vinci Code,’ turning it into a pilgrimage site for mystery seekers. This 15th-century church, filled with Masonic symbols and references to the Holy Grail, captures the imagination with legends of hidden knowledge. However, few know that two thousand kilometers from the Scottish village of Roslin, in Spain, there is a place with striking parallels. In the province of Teruel, in the town of Bordón, stands a church that, because of its abundance of Templar symbols and enigmatic frescoes, has been dubbed the ‘Spanish Rosslyn.’
The Church of the Virgin de la Carrasca (Virgen de la Carrasca) was built in the heart of Bordón in the early 13th century by the Knights Templar. Its interior impresses with its wealth of paintings and sculptures, featuring such unusual images as the phoenix, the three-headed dog Cerberus, and six-pointed stars. The walls and vaults are covered with iconography so complex that it has puzzled historians and researchers for centuries. Originally a Gothic temple but remodeled in the 17th–18th centuries, it retains a single-nave structure with side chapels. Its austere medieval portal contrasts with the interior, where floral ornaments transform the space into a true painted garden.
The origin of the sanctuary is linked to the veneration of the Virgen de la Carrasca. According to local legend, a shepherd discovered a statue of the Virgin Mary hidden inside an oak tree (carrasca). A small hermitage was initially built on this very spot, and later, in 1306, the Templars erected a large church. Since then, the temple has become a pilgrimage destination and remains one of Aragón’s hidden gems.
Researchers are particularly interested in the symbols that apparently reference apocryphal gospels and Hermetic teachings. Among them, the depiction of Saint Cecilia, the patroness of musicians, stands out. She is shown seated before an organ which, according to local records, may have been so large that several people were needed to play it.
The church’s connection with the Templar Order is indisputable. Bordón was part of the Castellote commandery, one of the most important Templar centers in the Maestrazgo region. The architecture of the church shares common features with other buildings of the order, such as the chapel of San Bartolomé in the Lobos River canyon. Beyond its historical legacy, this site is also believed to be a point of powerful telluric energy. Dowsing specialists have measured levels as high as 19,500 units on the Bovis scale here, which, in their opinion, is three times the optimal level for humans. Visitors often report a profound sense of tranquility and even a spiritual experience that is difficult to explain.
The church in Bordón has become an attractive destination for travelers seeking more than just sights, but places steeped in history and mystery. Local legends fuel curiosity, describing the temple as the center of a secret cult where the Templars guarded forbidden knowledge. Some believe the symbols on the walls hold keys to hidden rituals, while others see a connection between the church and the Earth’s energy flows. One way or another, the chapel in Bordón is a unique site where history and mysticism are closely intertwined.
