Eton College Chapel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Eton College Chapel |
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Eton College Chapel as seen from Windsor Castle
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Eton College Chapel is the main chapel at Eton College, a famous school for boys in England. It's a beautiful and important building where students gather for services and events.
The chapel was originally planned to be much longer, but it was never fully finished. This was because its founder, King Henry VI, faced difficulties. You can even see a marker outside that shows how far it was supposed to reach! The chapel is built in a style called Gothic, which means it has tall, pointed arches and large windows.
In the 1950s, the old wooden roof had problems with beetles. So, a new ceiling was built. It's made of concrete and stone, supported by strong steel beams. It looks like a beautiful fan, with stone ribs curving upwards.
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Chapel Services
Eton College Chapel is used very often. During school terms, there's at least one service every day. Many other services are also held, from quiet Taizé prayers to Roman Catholic Communion.
Almost every morning, students have a required service. Different year groups attend on different days. These services are usually short, lasting no more than twenty minutes.
Who Built the Chapel?
King Henry VI cared a lot about the religious side of his new school. He wanted the chapel services to be grand and important. He planned for many priests, chaplains, and singers to work there.
There were supposed to be 14 services a day, plus special prayers. Masses were also offered for the King's parents, and later for the King himself after he passed away. This was a common practice in the Catholic Church to pray for a person's soul.
For a while, the chapel was a popular place for pilgrims from all over Europe. Pilgrims are people who travel to a holy place. They came to Eton in August for a special fair and to see religious items. However, this large influx of pilgrims stopped around the 1460s.
Even today, chapel services are a very important part of life at Eton College. Students attend chapel on Sundays and several other days during the week. There are also many optional services they can go to.
In 1890, a second chapel, called Lower Chapel, was built. This was needed because the school had more and more students.
The Chapel Choir
The chapel choir is made up of boys from the school. Many of these boys have sung in other famous choirs before coming to Eton. Some even receive special scholarships for their musical talent. After Eton, many continue singing at universities like Oxford or Cambridge.
The choir sings at several required services each week, usually on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. They also perform at other optional services.
Sound and Lighting
The chapel has a special sound system. Unlike many large churches, it doesn't use soundboards to direct the sound. Instead, it aims for a more natural sound. The audio system in the chapel even won an award in 2003!
Wall Paintings
The wall paintings inside the chapel are considered amazing works of art. Several skilled painters worked for eight years (from 1479 to 1487) to create them. These paintings are in a style from Flanders (a region in Europe).
On the north side of the chapel, the paintings show scenes about the Virgin Mary, to whom the chapel is dedicated. On the south side, they tell a popular medieval story about a mythical empress.
In 1560, these beautiful paintings were covered up with white paint. This happened because new Protestant church leaders banned pictures of mythical miracles. The paintings were hidden and forgotten for about 300 years. Then, in 1847, they were rediscovered. In 1923, they were carefully cleaned and restored so everyone could see them again.
Chapel Windows
During World War II, a bomb fell near the school. This caused almost all the chapel's stained-glass windows to shatter, except for one above the organ.
The new East Window was created by an artist named Evie Hone. The designs for the windows on either side were made by John Piper and crafted by Patrick Reyntiens. The windows show different stories:
- On the north side, there are four miracles: the Miraculous Catch of Fish, the Feeding of the Five Thousand, the Calming of the Storm, and the Raising of Lazarus.
- On the south side, there are four parables (stories with a moral lesson): the Light under a Bushel, the House built on the Rock, the Lost Sheep, and the Sower.
Important People Buried Here
List of Conducts
The Conduct is the main chaplain of Eton College. They are in charge of the Chapel and lead its daily services, as well as special events like weddings or baptisms.
- The Revd Henry Harper (1831 to 1856)
- The Revd Ralph Sadleir (1964 to 1970)
- The Revd David Jones (1970 to 1974)
- The Revd Roger Royle (1974 to 1979)
- The Revd James Bentley (1979 to 1982)
- The Revd Paul Bibby (1982 to 1987)
- The Revd John Witheridge (1987 to 1996)
- The Revd Charles Mitchell-Innes (1996 to 2007)
- The Revd Canon Keith Wilkinson (2008 to 2016)
- The Revd Stephen Gray (From 2016)
See also
