St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
The King's Free Chapel of the College of St George, Windsor Castle
51°29′01″N 00°36′25″W / 51.48361°N 0.60694°W / 51.48361; -0.60694
Location	Windsor
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Previous denomination	Roman Catholicism
Churchmanship	High Church
History
Status	Chapel
Founded	1475
Dedication	St George
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade I listed
Style	Gothic
Years built	1475
Completed	1511
Specifications
Capacity	800
Administration
Deanery	Dean and Canons of Windsor
Diocese	Jurisdiction: Royal Peculiar Location: Oxford

St George's Chapel is a famous church located inside Windsor Castle in England. Its full name is The King's Free Chapel of the College of St George, Windsor Castle. It was built in a style called Perpendicular Gothic, which was popular in the late Middle Ages.

This chapel is special because it's a Royal peculiar, meaning the monarch (the King or Queen) is directly in charge of it. It's also the official chapel for the Order of the Garter, a very old group of knights and ladies. King Edward III started the chapel in the 1300s. It was made much bigger in the late 1400s. You can find it in the Lower Ward area of Windsor Castle.

Windsor Castle has been home to the royal family for nearly 1,000 years. St George's Chapel has hosted many royal events. These include services, weddings, and burials. Since the 1800s, it has become a popular burial place for the British royal family. The dean and Canons of Windsor manage the chapel. They are helped by other staff. A charity called The Society of the Friends of St George's helps keep the chapel in good condition.

History of the Chapel

How the Building Grew Over Time

St George's Chapel (left) at Windsor Castle in 1848. This picture shows the pinnacles without the Queen's Beasts, which were added later. Watercolour by Joseph Nash.

In 1348, King Edward III created two religious colleges. One was at Westminster, and the other was St George's at Windsor. The new college at Windsor was connected to an older chapel. This older chapel was built by Henry III in the early 1200s. The chapel was then dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, George the Martyr, and Edward the Confessor. However, it soon became known simply as St George's Chapel. Edward III also added the Aerary Porch in 1353–54.

The Choir of St George's Chapel, painted by Charles Wild in 1818.

Between 1475 and 1528, the chapel was greatly rebuilt. King Edward IV started this work. It was continued by Henry VII and then by Henry VIII. The old 13th-century chapel was made much larger. It became like a cathedral. This work was led by Richard Beauchamp, the Bishop of Salisbury, and master builder Henry Janyns.

The chapel was badly damaged during the English Civil War. In 1642, soldiers supporting Parliament broke in and stole from the chapel. More damage happened in 1643. The chapter house was destroyed. Lead was taken from the roofs. Parts of Henry VIII's unfinished tomb were also stolen. After he was executed in 1649, King Charles I was buried here. His coffin was placed in a small vault in the middle of the choir. This vault also held the coffins of Henry VIII and Queen Jane.

The Horseshoe Cloister, built in 1480. It was rebuilt in the 1800s.

King George III became very interested in Windsor Castle again. He helped fund a big restoration of the chapel from 1780 to 1790. Queen Victoria also made changes to the chapel. The east end of the choir was rebuilt in memory of Prince Albert. The Lady Chapel was finished and renamed the Albert Memorial Chapel.

In the early 1900s, the chapel needed urgent repairs. Walls were bowing, and stone was decaying. A ten-year restoration project began in 1920. It was led by Sir Harold Brakspear. As part of this, sculptor Mahomet Thomas Phillips created a falcon and a unicorn in 1923.

The King George VI Memorial Chapel was built in 1969. It was designed by George Pace.

St George's Chapel in the Lower Ward, seen in the middle right, partly hidden by a tree.

The Royal Beasts on the Roof

The Royal Beasts standing on top of the pinnacles.

On the roof of the chapel, you can see 76 statues. These are called the Royal Beasts. They are heraldic animals, meaning they represent royal symbols. There are 14 different animals, including:

• The lion of England
• The red dragon of Wales
• The falcon of York
• The black bull of Clarence
• The yale of Beaufort
• The white lion of Mortimer
• The greyhound of Richmond
• The white hart of Richard II
• The unicorn of Edward III

The first beasts were from the 1500s. But they were removed in 1682 because the stone they were made from was not strong enough. The statues you see today were put there in 1925 during a restoration.

The Choir of St George's Chapel

The singers, called choristers, who perform in St George's Chapel live at St George's School, Windsor Castle.

The Order of the Garter

The emblem of the Order of the Garter.

People waiting outside St George's Chapel on Garter Day to see the procession.

The Order of the Garter is a very old and important group of knights and ladies. They meet at Windsor Castle every June for a special service. After lunch, they walk in their special robes and badges to St George's Chapel for the service. This Garter Service was brought back in 1948 by King George VI to celebrate 600 years of the Order. It has been an annual event ever since.

Heraldry in the Chapel

Inside the chapel.

When new members join the Order of the Garter, they get a special seat in the chapel's choir. Above their seat, their unique symbols, called heraldic devices, are displayed. You can see their sword, helmet, and a banner with their coat of arms.

A small, decorated brass plate, called a Garter stall plate, is attached to the back of each seat. It shows the member's name and coat of arms. When a member dies, their sword, helmet, and banner are removed. But the stall plates stay there forever. This means the chapel has a collection of 800 plates from members throughout history.

Chantries and Chapels

The beautiful vaulted ceiling of the choir in St George's Chapel. You can see the Garter banners hanging below.

St George's Chapel has many special areas called chantries. A chantry was a place where priests would pray for the souls of specific people, usually those who had given money to the church. The chapel itself was part of a medieval chantry. There are also smaller chapels and altars inside. These are in memory of different English monarchs and important people.

The detailed iron gates and locks in the chapel were made by a medieval metalworker named John Tresilian.

The Rutland Chantry

A brass memorial in the St Leger Chantry. It shows Anne of York (who died in 1476) and her husband Thomas St Leger.

The Rutland Chantry chapel is on the north side of St George's Chapel. It was created in 1491 to honor Sir Thomas St Leger and Anne of York. Anne was the older sister of kings Edward IV and Richard III. A brass memorial to Anne and Sir Thomas is on the east wall of the chantry. It says that the chantry was founded "with two priests singing forevermore."

The chantry got its current name from the Earls of Rutland. These were descendants of Anne and Sir Thomas. The tomb of George and Anne Manners is a key feature here. Their statues are carved from English alabaster.

The chantry also has five embroidered panels. They show scenes like the Annunciation and the Adoration of the Magi. These were made by embroiderer Beryl Dean and took five years to finish. Usually, only one panel is on display.

Royal Weddings at the Chapel

The wedding of Prince of Wales and Alexandra of Denmark in 1863.

Many royal weddings have taken place at St George's Chapel. A lot of Queen Victoria's children were married here. Here are some of the royal weddings:

In 2005, Charles III, who was then the Prince of Wales, and Queen Camilla, then the Duchess of Cornwall, received a blessing from the Archbishop of Canterbury here after their marriage.

Royal Burials

St George's Chapel is a very important burial place for the royal family. Many kings, queens, and other royal family members are buried here.

Some notable people buried in the chapel include:

• At the Altar: Edward IV, Henry VI, Elizabeth Woodville (wife of Edward IV), Edward VII, and Alexandra of Denmark (wife of Edward VII).
• In the Quire: Jane Seymour (third wife of Henry VIII), Henry VIII, and Charles I.
• In the Royal Vault: Many members of the royal family from the 18th and 19th centuries, including George III, George IV, and William IV.
• Near the West Door: George V and Mary of Teck (wife of George V).
• In the King George VI Memorial Chapel: George VI, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and Elizabeth II. This chapel was built specifically for King George VI.
• In the Albert Memorial Chapel: Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale.
• In the Gloucester Vault: Members of the Gloucester royal family branch.
• Other locations: Various nobles and important figures like William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings and Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk.

Some royal burials were originally in St George's Chapel but were later moved to other royal burial grounds, such as Frogmore Royal Mausoleum or Royal Burial Ground, Frogmore.

Images for kids

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  St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle

See also

In Spanish: Capilla de San Jorge (Castillo de Windsor) para niños

• Choir of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
• Dean of Windsor
• Dean and Canons of Windsor
• Order of the Garter
• Windsor Castle