Chapel of St Michael and St George atSt Paul's Cathedral in LondonSchematic rendering of typical "side chapels" in the apse of a cathedral, surrounding the ambulatory
Achapel (fromLatin:cappella, a diminutive ofcappa, meaning "little cape") is aChristian place of prayer andworship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their ownaltar are often called chapels; theLady chapel is a common type of these. Second, a chapel is a place of worship, sometimesinterfaith,[1] that is part of a building, complex, or vessel with some other main purpose, such as a school, college, hospital, palace or large aristocratic house, castle,barracks,prison,funeral home, hotel, airport, or a military or commercial ship.[2] Third, chapels are small places of worship, built as satellite sites by a church or monastery, for example in remote areas; these are often called achapel of ease. A feature of all these types is that often noclergy were permanently resident or specifically attached to the chapel.
For historical reasons,chapel is also often the term used byindependent ornonconformist denominations for their places of worship in England and especially in Wales, even where they are large and in practice they operate as aparish church.[3][4]
Theearliest Christian places of worship are now often referred to as chapels, as they were not dedicated buildings but rather a dedicated chamber within a building. Most larger churches had one or more secondary altars which, if they occupied a distinct space, would often be called a chapel. InRussian Orthodox tradition, the chapels were built underneath city gates, where most people could visit them; a famous example is theIberian Chapel.
Although chapels frequently refer to Christian places of worship, they are also found in Jewishsynagogues and do not necessarily denote a specific denomination. In England—where theChurch of England isestablished by law—interdenominational or interfaith chapels in such institutions may be consecrated by the local Anglican bishop. Chapels that are not affiliated with a particular denomination are commonly encountered as part of a non-religious institution such as a hospital, airport, university or prison.[5] Many military installations have chapels for the use of military personnel, normally under the leadership of amilitary chaplain.[6]
The earliest Christian places of worship were not dedicated buildings but rather a dedicatedchamber within a building, such as a room in an individual's home. Here, one or two people could pray without being part of a communion or congregation. People who like to use chapels may find it peaceful and relaxing to be away from the stress of life, without other people moving around them.
The wordchapel, like the associated wordchaplain, is ultimately derived fromLatin.[7] More specifically, the word is derived from arelic ofSaint Martin of Tours: traditional stories about Martin relate that while he was still a soldier, he cut his military cloak in half to give part to a beggar in need. The other half he wore over his shoulders as a "small cape" (Latin:cappella). The beggar, the stories claim, was Christ in disguise, and Martin experienced a conversion of heart, becoming first a monk, then abbot, then bishop. This cape came into the possession of theFrankish kings, and they kept the relic with them as they did battle. The tent which kept the cape was called thecapella and the priests who said dailyMass in the tent were known as thecapellani. From these words, viaOld French, we get the names "chapel" and "chaplain".
The word also appears in theIrish language (Gaelic) in theMiddle Ages, as Welsh people came with theNorman andOld English invaders to the island of Ireland. While the traditional Irish word for church waseaglais (derived fromecclesia), a new word,séipéal (fromcappella), came into usage.
In British history, "chapel" or "meeting house" were formerly the standard designations for church buildings belonging to independent orNonconformist religious societies and their members.[8] They were particularly associated with the pre-eminence of independent religious practice in rural parts of England and Wales, the northern industrial towns of the late 18th and 19th centuries, and centres of population close to but outside theCity of London. As a result, "chapel" is sometimes used as an adjective in England and Wales to describe members of such churches: for example in the sentence, "I'm Chapel."[9]
Abridge chapel is a small place of Christian worship, built either on, or immediately adjacent to, a road bridge; they were commonly established during pre-Reformation mediaeval era in Europe.
Acastle chapel, in European architecture, is a chapel built within a castle.
Aparecclesion or parakklesion is a type of side chapel found in Byzantine architecture.
Acapilla abierta (open chapel) is one of the most distinct Mexican church construction forms, mostly built in the 16th century during the early colonial period.
Aproprietary chapel is one that originally belonged to a private individual. In the 19th century they were common, often being built to cope with urbanisation. Frequently they were established by evangelical philanthropists with a vision of spreading Christianity in cities whose needs could no longer be met by the parishes. Some functioned more privately, with a wealthy person building a chapel so that they could invite their favorite preachers.[10] They are anomalies in the English ecclesiastical law, having no parish area, but being permitted to have an Anglican clergyman licensed there. Historically many Anglican churches were proprietary chapels. Over the years they have often been converted into normal parishes.
Acourt chapel is a chapel as a musical ensemble associated with a royal or noble court. Most of these are royal (court) chapels, but when the ruler of the court is not a king, the more generic "court chapel" is used, for instance for an imperial court.
Capel Salem, a nonconformist chapel inPwllheli, Wales. Unlike earlier types of chapel, this chapel is not attached to a larger place of worship.
While the wordchapel is not exclusively limited toChristian terminology, it is most often found in that context. Nonetheless, the word's meaning can vary by denomination, and non-denominational chapels (sometimes called "meditation rooms") can be found in many hospitals, airports, and even theUnited Nations headquarters. Chapels can also be found for worship inJudaism.
"Chapel" is in particularly common usage in theUnited Kingdom, and especially inWales, for Nonconformist places of worship;[11] and inScotland andIreland forRoman Catholic churches. InEngland and Wales, due to the rise in Nonconformist chapels during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, by the time of the1851 census, more people attended the independent chapels than attended the state religion's Anglican churches.[12][13] (The Anglican Church does not function as the established church in Scotland.)
In Roman Catholic Church canon law, a chapel, technically called an "oratory", is a building or part thereof dedicated to the celebration of services, particularly the Mass, which is not a parish church. This may be a private chapel, for the use of one person or a select group (a bishop's private chapel, or the chapel of a convent, for instance); a semi-public oratory, which is partially available to the general public (a seminary chapel that welcomes visitors to services, for instance); or a public oratory (for instance, a hospital or university chapel).
Chapels that are built as part of a larger church are holy areas set aside for some specific use or purpose: for instance, many cathedrals and large churches have a "Lady chapel" in the apse, dedicated to the Virgin Mary; parish churches may have such a Lady chapel in a side aisle or a "chapel of Reservation" or "Blessed Sacrament chapel" where the consecrated bread of theEucharist is kept in reserve between services, for the purpose of taking Holy Communion to the sick and housebound and, in some Christian traditions, for devotional purposes.
Ambassador's chapel – originally created to allow ambassadors from Catholic countries to worship whilst on duty inProtestant countries.
Bishop's chapel – in Anglican and Roman Catholiccanon law, bishops have the right to have a chapel in their own home, even when travelling (such personal chapels may be granted only as a favor to other priests)
Cappella gentilizia - a type of private mortuary chapel used for burials; commonly found in the cemeteries of Italy.
Cemetery chapel also known as aMemorial chapel - an indoor venue in acemetery where families, friends and clergy gather for funeral services including music, eulogies, pastoral prayers and meditation. It additionally protects them from rain, summertime heat or cold wintry weather.
Chapel of ease – constructed in large parishes to allow parishioners easy access to a church or chapel.
Chapel of rest – not a place of worship as such, but a comfortably decorated room in afuneral director's premises, where family and friends can view the deceased before a funeral.
College chapel - located on college or university campuses that are or were once affiliated with a religion
Family chapel - private chapel for royal families are other wealthy families.
Funeral chapel – a venue forfunerals or memorial services/celebrations of life/services of remembrance at afuneral home. In the case of cremation services, families and visitors would gather in acrematorium (crematory orcremation center in the United States).[14]
Hospital chapel – location for praying for the sick or recently deceased.
Mausoleum chapel also known as a Chapel mausoleum - an indoor venue designated within an urban cemetery featuringmausoleums where families, friends and clergy gather for funeral services including eulogies, pastoral prayers and meditation, but not music in some locations. It additionally keeps them from enduring weather conditions of summertime heat, cold wintry weather or rain.[15]
Military chapel – U.S. military bases often have chapels designated for use by varying denominations. As no specific denomination or faith is the "owner", such a site is commonly referred to as a chapel instead of a church, mosque, or synagogue. Service members can often receive services for nondenominational Christian, Roman Catholic, Islamic, and Jewish faiths, as well as information for other services in the local area.
Multifaith chapel – found within hospitals, airports and universities, etc.; often converted from being exclusively Christian.
Side-chapel – a chapel within a cathedral or larger church building.
Summer chapel – a small church in a resort area that functions only during the summer when vacationers are present.
Wayside chapel or country chapel – small chapels in the countryside
The first airport chapel was created in 1951 inBoston for airport workers but grew to include travelers. It was originally Catholic, but chapels today are often multifaith.[16]
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