St Catherine's Chapel, Abbotsbury facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Catherine's Chapel |
|
|---|---|
St Catherine's Chapel
|
|
| Location | Abbotsbury in Dorset, England |
| Owner | English Heritage |
| Official name: Chapel of St Catherine | |
| Type | Grade I |
| Designated | 26 January 1956 |
| Reference no. | 1172576 |
| Official name: St Catherine's Chapel, field system and quarries at Chapel Hill | |
| Designated | 19 December 1958 |
| Reference no. | 1015694 |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
St Catherine's Chapel is a small, historic chapel located on a hill. It sits high above the village of Abbotsbury in Dorset, England. The chapel is named after Saint Catherine. Today, English Heritage looks after it. It's a very important building, listed as a Grade I historic site since 1956. The chapel, along with old field systems and quarries on the hill, is also a protected scheduled monument.
You can get a great view of the chapel from the B3157 road. This road goes from Abbotsbury to Bridport. From there, you can see Chesil Beach in the background. The old strip lynchets, which are like steps carved into the hillside, are called the Chapel Rings by local people.
History of the Chapel
We don't have records showing exactly when the chapel was built. But its style suggests it was made in the late 1300s. This was around the same time as Abbotsbury's tithe barn. The chapel stands on a raised area. This spot might have been used for a pagan temple long ago.
St Catherine's Chapel was built as a place for people to go on a pilgrimage. It was also a quiet spot for the monks of Abbotsbury Abbey. The chapel is high on a hill, about 80 meters (260 feet) tall. From here, you can see the coast from Portland Bill to Bridport. This made it a clear landmark for sailors.
Most chapels built by monasteries were inside their grounds. But St Catherine's Chapel was built far away. This isolated spot allowed monks to leave the monastery during Lent. They could go there for private prayer and quiet thinking.
In the 1500s, many abbey buildings were destroyed. This happened during the dissolution of the monasteries. But St Catherine's Chapel survived. It was probably saved because it was useful for sailors. It acted as a coastal beacon and a landmark. Later, a navigation light was even lit at the top of its stair turret. The chapel was repaired in 1742 and again in the late 1800s. However, it still looks mostly the same as it did centuries ago.
English Heritage now cares for the chapel. It is open to visitors during the busy season, and entry is free. The local church in Abbotsbury also holds several services at the chapel. These informal services usually happen from June to December each year.
How the Chapel Was Built
The chapel is shaped like a rectangle. It is built entirely from local golden limestone. This stone was taken from nearby quarries. The building is very strong, made to stand up to bad weather. Its walls are 4 feet thick and supported by strong buttresses. Even the roof and the ceiling inside are made of stone.
Rainwater drains off the roof through holes in the wall. These holes are between the buttresses. There is a tower in the north-west corner of the chapel. In the north-east corner, a stair turret rises above the roof. It is octagonal on the outside. This turret lets people go up to the parapet, which is a low wall at the edge of the roof. There is also a tiny prayer room at roof level. The buttresses and the stair turret likely had decorative tops called pinnacles when they were first built. There used to be a porch on both the north and south walls. The stone slab roof was replaced in 1983 with new stone.
The chapel looks much bigger than it actually is. Its tall walls and high parapets were designed to impress people. This grand feeling is made even stronger by the chapel's high position on the hill. Inside the chapel, in medieval times, there would have been colorful stained glass windows. The details of the roof would have been painted in bright colors. At the points where the roof arches meet, there are carvings. These carvings show plants, people, and animals. The chapel's main window is a large triple window on the east wall. There are also smaller windows on the other walls.
Traditions of St Catherine
Saint Catherine is known as the patron saint of single women. She is especially linked to those looking for a husband. Until the late 1800s, there was a special tradition at the chapel. Young women from Abbotsbury would come to "wish." They would use special niches in the south doorway. One niche was for a knee, and two other holes were for their hands. They would "post" their prayers and make a wish to Saint Catherine. They asked her for help and support.
A traditional prayer used there goes like this:
A husband, St Catherine,
A handsome one, St Catherine,
A rich one, St Catherine,
A nice one, St Catherine,
And soon, St Catherine.
In the local dialect, the prayer ends with "Arn-a-one's better than Narn-a-one." This means that having any husband is better than having none at all.
It's quite rare to find a chapel dedicated to St Catherine of Alexandria. However, her story was very popular in medieval England. Around 600 AD, St Augustine sent priests from Rome to convert the English. His plan was for them to replace pagan temples with Christian churches and chapels. Early Christian missionaries often chose a patron saint that was similar to the old pagan beliefs. This chapel was likely an example of that. Chapels dedicated to St Catherine are often found on hills. This might be because her story is linked to Mount Sinai.
See also
- List of English Heritage properties
