Chapel

Chapel (through Fr. from a late Latin capella, which, according to Brachet, already in the 7th century had the sense of a chapel, but earlier meant the sanctuary in which was preserved the cappa or cope of St Martin, and was next expanded to mean any sanctuary containing relics). The term now signifies a building erected for the purposes of public worship, but not possessing the full privileges and characteristics of a church. In this sense all places of worship erected by dissenters are now called chapels in England, and the term is also applied to supplementary places of worship, even though in connection with the established church—such as parochial chapels, chapels of ease, free chapels, and the like. In former times it was applied either to a domestic oratory, or to a place of worship erected by a private individual or a body corporate. In the latter sense we speak of chapels in colleges. But its earliest signification was that of a separate erection, either within or attached to a large church or cathedral, separately dedicated, and devoted to special services (see CHANTRY). Chapels had no burying-ground attached to them, and the sacrament of baptism was not usually administered in them.—The name is also given to a printer's workshop, hence to a union of the workmen in a printing-office—said to be so applied because Caxton set up his press in a chapel at Westminster.