A Lady chapel or lady chapel is a traditional

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

term for a

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

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 Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

, particularly those inside a

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

or other large

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

. The chapels are also known as a Mary chapel or a Marian chapel, and they were traditionally the largest

side chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common type ...

of a cathedral, placed eastward from the

high altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paganis ...

and forming a projection from the main building, as in

Winchester Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity,Historic England. "Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity (1095509)". ''National Heritage List for England''. Retrieved 8 September 2014. Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun, commonly known as Winches ...

. Most

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

and many Anglican cathedrals still have such chapels, while mid-sized churches have smaller

side-altar A side-altar or bye-altar is an altar that is subordinate to the central or high altar in a church. The term is generally applied to altars that are situated in the bay or bays of the nave, transepts, etc. Side-altars may be recessed in a side-cha ...

s 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

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

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 The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

period in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

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 King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

Lucius of Britain Lucius (Welsh: Lles map Coel, Lleirwg, Lleufer or Lleufer Mawr) was a supposed 2nd-century king of the Britons traditionally credited with introducing Christianity into Britain. Lucius is first mentioned in a 6th-century version of the ''Liber Po ...

, the apostles Fagan and Duvian were said to have erected the

Lady Chapel A Lady chapel or lady chapel is a traditional British English, British term for a chapel dedicated to "Our Lady", Mary, mother of Jesus, particularly those inside a cathedral or other large church (building), church. The chapels are also known as ...

Glastonbury Glastonbury (, ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbur ...

as the oldest church in Britain;

William of Malmesbury William of Malmesbury ( la, Willelmus Malmesbiriensis; ) was the foremost English historian of the 12th century. He has been ranked among the most talented English historians since Bede. Modern historian C. Warren Hollister described him as " ...

. ''Gesta Regum Anglorum'' 'The Deeds of the Kings of the English'' . Translated by J.A. Giles 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 Pious fraud is used to describe fraud in religion or medicine. A pious fraud can be counterfeiting a miracle or falsely attributing a sacred text to a biblical figure due to the belief that the " end justifies the means", in this case the end of i ...

. The earliest English lady chapel of certain historicity was that in the Saxon cathedral of

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

; this was transferred during the rebuilding by Archbishop Lanfranc to the west end of the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

, and again shifted in 1450 to the chapel on the east side of the north

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building wi ...

. The lady chapel of Ely Cathedral 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 Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...

. 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. 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 Ottery St Mary, known as "Ottery", is a town and civil parish in the East Devon district of Devon, England, on the River Otter, about east of Exeter on the B3174. At the 2001 census, the parish, which includes the villages of Metcombe, F ...

Thetford Priory Thetford Priory is a Cluniac monastic house in Thetford, Norfolk, England. Founded in 1103 by Roger Bigod of Norfolk, Thetford was one of the most important monasteries of East Anglia. It should not be confused with the Dominican Friary of Blac ...

Bury St Edmunds Cathedral St Edmundsbury Cathedral (formally entitled the Cathedral Church of St James and St Edmund) is the cathedral for the Church of England's Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. It is the seat of the Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich and is i ...

Wimborne Minster Wimborne Minster (often referred to as Wimborne, ) is a market town in Dorset in South West England, and the name of the Church of England church in that town. It lies at the confluence of the River Stour and the River Allen, north of Poo ...

and Highfield Church in Hampshire. The Lady Chapel was built over the chancel in

Compton, Guildford Compton is a village and civil parish in the Guildford district of Surrey, England. It is between Godalming and Guildford. It has a medieval church and a close connection to fine art and pottery, being the later life home of artist George Fred ...

, Surrey;

Compton Martin Compton Martin is a small village and civil parish within the Chew Valley in Somerset and in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority in England. The parish has a population of 508. It lies between Chew Valley Lake and Blagdon Lake, no ...

, Somersetshire; and

Darenth Darenth is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located 3.4 miles south east of Dartford and 4.6 miles north east of Swanley. History The parish was part of Axstane Hundred and later Dartford Rural Dis ...

, Kent. At Croyland Abbey there were two lady chapels. The Priory Church at

Little Dunmow Little Dunmow is a village situated in rural Essex, England, in the vale of the River Chelmer about east-southeast of the town of Great Dunmow. It can be reached from the Dunmow South exit of the A120 by following the road towards Braintree (B ...

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 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 ...

Westminster Cathedral Westminster Cathedral is the mother church of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It is the largest Catholic church in the UK and the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster. The site on which the cathedral stands in the City o ...

(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