Chapter house facts for kids
A Chapter house is a special building or room connected to a cathedral or a large church. It's where important meetings for the church's leaders, called the chapter, take place. Chapter houses were also built in medieval monasteries.
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What is a Chapter House?
A chapter house is a key meeting place. It's where the people who manage a cathedral or monastery come together. These buildings are often very old and have interesting architecture.
Chapter Houses in Cathedrals
In a cathedral, the chapter is a group of leaders who help run the church. This group is usually led by the Dean, who is in charge of the cathedral's daily operations. Other members of the chapter include Canons, who can be priests or even important non-religious officials. Think of them as the management team for the cathedral.
The chapter house was often one of the first parts of a cathedral to be built, usually right after the main church structure was put up. It was often located next to the cloister, which is a covered walkway.
Chapter Houses in Monasteries
When a chapter house is part of a monastery, it's usually found on the eastern side of the cloister. It's a large room, big enough to hold all the monks living in the monastery. These rooms were built in the same grand style as the churches of their time. Sometimes, the entrance to a chapter house in a Romanesque or Gothic monastery looks like a smaller version of a cathedral entrance.
The monks would meet in the chapter house with their leader, the Abbot. This meeting was called 'holding chapter'. During these meetings, they would read from their rule book and the Bible. They also discussed important matters about the monastery and the monks themselves. These meetings usually happened in the morning, after mass. The monks would sit along the walls, usually in order of their age. At the end of the meeting, monks might talk about their behavior or discuss the rules of the monastery.
Images for kids
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The Chapterhouse at Lincoln Cathedral with flying buttresses surrounding the building
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The chapter house of Wells Cathedral, built c. 1300
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Late Renaissance grandeur at Toledo Cathedral, with wooden coffered ceiling
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The chapter house from the 1750s in the old town of Porvoo, Finland
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Chapter House of Bornem Abbey, with the Throne of the Abbot.
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The Chapterhouse at Southwell Minster, Nottinghamshire
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French Romanesque chapter house now moved to The Cloisters, New York
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Museum installation of the Romanesque frescos from the Monastery of Santa María de Sigena
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The royal Fontevraud Abbey
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Entrance at Fontevraud Abbey
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The former chapterhouse, now the "Spanish Chapel", at the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella in Florence
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Salisbury Cathedral from the cathedral tower, with cloister at right
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Interior of the chapter house of Kuopio Cathedral in Kuopio
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The octagonal chapter house at York Minster
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Exterior of the Pazzi Chapel
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Interior of the Pazzi Chapel
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The modern boardroom-style Chapter house at Guildford Cathedral
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See also
In Spanish: Sala capitular para niños
