A Lady chapel or lady chapel is a traditional British term for a chapel dedicated to "Our Lady",

Mary, mother of Jesus Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

, particularly those inside a cathedral or other large church. The chapels are also known as a Mary chapel or a Marian chapel, and they were traditionally the largest side chapel of a cathedral, placed eastward from the high altar and forming a projection from the main building, as in Winchester Cathedral. Most Roman Catholic and many

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

cathedrals still have such chapels, while mid-sized churches have smaller side-altars dedicated to the Virgin.''Mary: The Imagination of Her Heart'' by Penelope Duckworth 2004 pages 125-126 The occurrence of lady chapels varies by location and exist in most of the French cathedrals and churches where they form part of the

chevet In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...

. In Belgium they were not introduced before the 14th century; in some cases they are of the same size as the other chapels of the chevet, but in others (probably rebuilt at a later period) they became much more important features. Some of the best examples can be found in churches of the Renaissance period in Italy and Spain. Saint-Riquier, abbatiale, chapelle de la Vierge 15

Saint-Riquier, abbatiale, chapelle de la Vierge 15

It was in lady chapels, towards the close of the Middle Ages, that innovations in church music were allowed, only the strict chant being heard in the choir.

In England

In the 12th-century legends surrounding King Lucius of Britain, the

apostles An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...

Fagan Fagan or Phagan is also a Norman-Irish surname, derived from the Latin word 'paganus' meaning ‘rural’ or ‘rustic’. Variants of the name Fagan include Fegan and Fagen. It was brought to Ireland during the Anglo-Norman invasion in the twelfth ...

and Duvian were said to have erected the Lady Chapel at Glastonbury as the oldest church in Britain; William of Malmesbury. ''Gesta Regum Anglorum'' 'The Deeds of the Kings of the English'' . Translated by

J.A. Giles John Allen Giles (1808–1884) was an English historian. He was primarily known as a scholar of Anglo-Saxon language and history. He revised Stevens' translation of the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' and Bede's ''Ecclesiastical History of the English ...

a
''William of Malmesbury's Chronicle of the Kings of England from the Earliest Period to the Reign of King Stephen'', p. 21.
Henry G. Bohn (London), 1847. the accounts are now held to have been pious forgeries. The earliest English lady chapel of certain historicity was that in the

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

cathedral of Canterbury; this was transferred during the rebuilding by

Archbishop Lanfranc Lanfranc, OSB (1005 1010 – 24 May 1089) was a celebrated Italian jurist who renounced his career to become a Benedictine monk at Bec in Normandy. He served successively as prior of Bec Abbey and abbot of St Stephen in Normandy and t ...

to the west end of the nave, and again shifted in 1450 to the chapel on the east side of the north transept. The lady chapel of

Ely Cathedral Ely Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is an Anglican cathedral in the city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. The cathedral has its origins in AD 672 when St Etheldreda built an abbey church. The presen ...

is a distinct building attached to the north transept, which was built before 1016. At

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

the current lady chapel is west of the south transept (which was the original lady chapel, and to which the current chapel was an extension). Probably the largest lady chapel was built by Henry III in 1220 in Westminster Abbey. This chapel was wide, much in excess of any foreign example, and extended to the end of the site now occupied by

Henry VII's Lady Chapel The Henry VII Lady Chapel, now more often known just as the Henry VII Chapel, is a large Lady chapel at the far eastern end of Westminster Abbey, paid for by the will of King Henry VII. It is separated from the rest of the abbey by brass gates a ...

. Also in 1220, the office of Warden of the Lady Chapel was established, with the responsibility for the Lady altar, and its sacred vessels, candles and other accoutrements. Among other notable English examples of lady chapels are those at the parish church at Ottery St Mary, Thetford Priory, Bury St Edmunds Cathedral, Wimborne Minster and

Highfield Church Highfield Church is a parish church in the Highfield district of Southampton, England. It is an Anglican Church in the Diocese of Winchester. History Early history The foundation stone for Highfield Church was laid on 12 September 1846 and i ...

in Hampshire. The Lady Chapel was built over the chancel in Compton, Guildford, Surrey; Compton Martin, Somersetshire; and Darenth, Kent. At

Croyland Abbey Crowland Abbey (also spelled Croyland Abbey, Latin: ''Croilandia'') is a Church of England parish church, formerly part of a Benedictine abbey church, in Crowland in the English county of Lincolnshire. It is a Grade I listed building. History A ...

there were two lady chapels. The Priory Church at Little Dunmow was the lady chapel of an Augustinian priory, and is now the parish church.

Places

Canada

* The Lady Chapel at the Cathedral Church of the Redeemer in Calgary, Alberta

Ireland

* The Lady Chapel of St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin * The Lady Chapel of Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin

New Zealand

* The Lady Chapel at St Paul's Cathedral in Wellington

Russia

* The Lady Chapel at Catholic Church of St. Catherine in Saint Petersburg

South Africa

* The Lady Chapel of St Cyprian's Cathedral in Kimberley

United Kingdom

The beautiful Lady Chapel within the cathedral dedicated to the Holy Spirit at Guildford - geograph

* The Lady Chapel at Glastonbury Abbey, formerly supposed to be the oldest church in Britain * The Lady Chapel at Canterbury Cathedral, the probable first Lady chapel in Britain * The

Elder Lady Chapel Bristol Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is the Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England. Founded in 1140 and consecrated in 1148, it was originally St Augustine's Abbey but after the Dissolu ...

at Bristol Cathedral in England * The

Eastern Lady Chapel Bristol Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is the Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England. Founded in 1140 and consecrated in 1148, it was originally St Augustine's Abbey but after the Dissolu ...

at Bristol Cathedral in England * The Lady Chapel at Chester Cathedral in England * The Lady Chapel at Chichester Cathedral in England * The Lady Chapel at Ely Cathedral in England * The Lady Chapel at Gloucester Cathedral in England * The Lady Chapel at Hereford Cathedral in England * The Lady Chapel at Liverpool Cathedral (Anglican) in England * The Lady Chapel at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral (Catholic) in England * The Lady Chapel at Manchester Cathedral in England * The Lady Chapel at Rochester Cathedral in England * The Lady Chapel at Wells Cathedral in England * The Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey (Anglican), also known as the "Henry VII Chapel" * The Lady Chapel of Westminster Cathedral (RC) in England * The Lady Chapel of Winchester Cathedral in England * The Lady Chapel at St Alban's in Southampton, England * The Lady Chapel at All Saints' in London, England * The Lady Chapel at St Augustine's in Birmingham, England * The Lady Chapel at Christ the King's in London, England * The Lady Chapel at Holy Cross in Crediton, England * The Lady Chapel at Holy Cross in Waltham Abbey, England * The Lady Chapel at St Clare's in Liverpool, England * The Lady Chapel at St David's in Pantasaph, Wales * The Lady Chapel at St Jude's-on-the-Hill in London, England * The Lady Chapel at St George's in Birmingham, England * The Lady Chapel at St Helen's in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, England * The Lady Chapel at St James the Great's in Haydock, England * The Lady Chapel at St John the Baptist's in Chester, England * The Lady Chapel at St Mary's in Stamford, England * The Lady Chapel at St Mary's in Widnes, England * The Lady Chapel at St Mary Magdalen's in Woolwich, England * The Lady Chapel at St Mary Magdalen's in Yarm, England * The Lady Chapel at St Mary the Virgin's in Stanton Drew, England * The Lady Chapel at St Matthew's in Oxhey, England * The Lady Chapel at St Matthew's in Westminster, England * The Lady Chapel at St Michael's in St Michael Caerhays, Cornwall * The Lady Chapel at St Michael's in Tilehurst, England * The Lady Chapel of St Pancras's in Ipswich, England * The Lady Chapel at St Peter's in Berkhamsted, England * The Lady Chapel at St Peter's in Sudbury, England * The Lady Chapel at Holy Trinity in Trowbridge, England * The Lady Chapel at Windsor Castle, now formally the "Albert Memorial Chapel"

United States

* The Lady Chapel at Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York * The Lady Chapel at St. Mark's Church, Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania * The Lady Chapel at Church of the Good Shepherd (Rosemont, Pennsylvania) * The Lady Chapel at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Notre Dame), Indiana * The Lady Chapel at the Church of the Advent, Boston, Massachusetts * The Lady Chapel at St. Patrick's Cathedral, (Manhattan).White, Norval, and Elliot Willensky. ''AIA Guide to New York City''. 5th ed. New York: Oxford UP, 2010. Print.

References

Church architecture Chapels Shrines to the Virgin Mary Anglican Mariology Marian devotions {{Commonscat, Lady chapels