Chapel facts for kids
A chapel is a special place where Christians go to worship and pray. It's like a small church, but it's often more private or built for a specific group of people. Unlike a main church in a town, a chapel might be found in a home, a school, a hospital, or even a castle!
Contents
What is a Chapel?
A chapel is a place for Christian worship. The word "chapel" can mean different things. Usually, it is a place of worship that is not the main church for a whole town or village. Instead, it is often more private or has a special purpose.
Private Chapels
Some very large houses, castles, and palaces have their own private chapels. These are places where the family and their staff can worship.
Small Private Chapels
Many private chapels are quite small. Besides being used for prayers, they might also be the burial place for family members. You might see memorials or statues on the walls.
For example, there are famous small family chapels at Haddon Hall in Derbyshire, England. Another is in the Riccardi Medici Palace in Florence, Italy. This small chapel has famous fresco paintings of the Three Kings by an artist named Benozzo Gozzoli.
Large Private Chapels
Some private chapels are as big as very large churches! Only very rich people could build these grand chapels. Because of this, they often have amazing architecture or beautiful decorations.
Some famous large private chapels include St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in England. Another is the Chapel Royal at Versailles Palace in France. The Sistine Chapel at the Vatican Palace is also a private chapel. It is the chapel for the popes and is famous for its ceiling painted by Michelangelo.
Chapels in Schools and Hospitals
Many universities, colleges, schools, hospitals, and even prisons have their own chapels. These can be grand and beautiful buildings, like the Eton College Chapel. Or they might be a small room set aside just for prayer.
At many schools, a "Chapel Service" is an important part of the week. This is when the whole school gathers to pray and sing hymns. Sometimes, a big church or cathedral can also act as a chapel. For example, Oxford Cathedral is the chapel for Christ Church College at the University of Oxford.
Chapels within Churches
Sometimes, you'll find smaller chapels inside a larger church or cathedral.
Monastery Chapels
A monastery (for monks) or a convent (for nuns) usually has a chapel. This is where the monks or nuns can worship. It might be a private chapel just for them. Or it could be a large church that also serves the local village or town.
Many cathedrals show signs that monks once used them alongside townspeople. One sign is a large stone screen that divides the church into two areas. These churches often have many small chapels. This is because monks or nuns would each say private prayers in one of these small chapels every day.
Family Chapels
Starting in the Middle Ages, wealthy families would often give money to a church or cathedral. This money was used to build a special family chapel attached to the main church. There were several reasons for this:
- Families wanted a private place to pray outside of regular services.
- They might want to thank God for a family member being healed or rescued.
- They often wanted to bury dead family members there and have daily prayers said for them.
- They might want to honor a particular saint.
- They might want to make their favorite church more beautiful and bigger.
Whatever the reason, many family chapels are attached to old churches all over Europe. The Church of Santa Croce in Florence is famous for its many chapels named after important Florentine families. One very famous chapel of this type was built by Henry VIII to bury his father at Westminster Abbey.
Special Purpose Chapels
Many chapels inside a church have a special purpose. One important use is to store the Sacrament. This is the wine and bread (or wafer) used for Holy Communion. Some chapels are designed to remind people of a particular part of the Life of Christ, like the Crucifixion or Resurrection. Others celebrate a special day in the Church Year, such as the Assumption of the Virgin.
Other chapels might hold relics (special objects) of a saint. Or they might have a precious painting or statue of a particular saint, such as Saint Anthony of Padua, Saint Francis of Assisi, or Saint Patrick.
Service Chapels
It is common for military groups and similar organizations to have special chapels. These are often found in churches or cathedrals.
Most cathedrals have a chapel especially to remember local people who served their country. This includes those who might have died in a war. The chapel might display the flags of the local regiment. Services may be held regularly or on special days to remember a particular battle or hero.
Protestant Chapels
In many Protestant churches, the places where people gather for prayer and services are called chapels instead of churches. This sometimes happened because the pastors (leaders) of these groups were not accepted as priests by the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches. Or it was because they were set up in places where there was no priest to lead services.
Wayside Chapels
These chapels are built especially for travelers. People can stop in to pray as they pass by. You might find them in busy market places, deep in forests, on lonely mountain roads, and even at airports today.
Funerary Chapels
These chapels are found in cemeteries. Sometimes, a particular family owns them, and they contain the tombs of family members. However, in most large modern cemeteries, the chapels are "multi-denominational." This means they are for people from different Christian churches. They are used specifically for funeral services.
See also
- Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, 5th Edition. ISBN: 0-19-860575-7
Images for kids
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Chapel of St Michael & St George, St Paul's Cathedral, London.
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Schematic rendering of typical "side chapels" in the apse of a cathedral, surrounding the ambulatory.
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The Cappella Palatina in Palermo (illustrated) and the Palatine Chapel in Aachen are two of the most famous palace chapels of Europe.
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Capel Salem, a nonconformist chapel in Pwllheli, Wales. Unlike earlier types of chapel, this is not attached to a larger place of worship.
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The old premises of St. Ivan Rilski Chapel in Antarctica
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Teller Chapel in Tartu, Estonia
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The Little Chapel, Guernsey
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Chapelle Saint-Sixte d'Eygalières, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence, France
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St. Dimitrius Chapel on the beach of Olympiaki Akti, Greece
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Methodist Chapel in Kent, Ohio, United States
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Confederate Memorial Chapel, Richmond, Virginia, United States
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Vassar Chapel Interior, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York
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Interior of Heinz Chapel, University of Pittsburgh
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Forest chapel in Heiligendamm, Bad Doberan, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
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Processional Chapel in Varennes, Quebec
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Turvey Abbey, chapel interior
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Open Chapel in Steinfurt, Germany
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Eton College Chapel in Eton College, England
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Avon Old Farms School - the chapel
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Chapel in the Wood, Strawberry Hill House, near London
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Chapel in the Armenian Cathedral Deir Ez Zor
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Gothic Chapel (15th century) in The Chrobry Square, Police, Poland
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Guards Chapel, Wellington Barracks, London, largely rebuilt after bombing in 1944
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Cappella degli Scrovegni in Padua, Italy
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Chapel in Mirachowo, Kashubia (bd. 1740)
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Chapel at Callaway Gardens in holiday resort
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German castle chapel
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Memorial Chapel at Lake Junaluska
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The modern presidential chapel (left) of the Palácio da Alvorada, the official residence of the President of Brazil
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Funeral chapel at Woodlands Crematorium, Scarborough, England
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See also
In Spanish: Capilla para niños
