Castle chapels (german: Burgkapellen) in European architecture are

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 ...

s that were built within a

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

. They fulfilled the religious requirements of the castle lord and his retinue, while also sometimes serving as a burial site. Because the construction of such

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 * Chri ...

edifices was expensive for the lord of the castle, separate chapels are not found at every seat of the nobility. Often, a secondary room furnished with an

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 pagan ...

had to suffice. According to historian Sarah Speight, "The religious role of chapels was as normal, as routine, and arguably, as integral to castles as any concern for symbolism and/or military strength." Castle chapels were usually consecrated to

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Or ...

s; especially those associated with

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the ...

, such as

Saint George Saint George ( Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldie ...

Saint Gereon Saint Gereon of Cologne (french: Géréon), who may have been a soldier, was martyred at Cologne by beheading, probably in the early 4th century. History According to the Roman Martyrology, "In Cologne in Germany, the Saints Gereon and his com ...

. In 1437, the chapel of Saint Mark at the castle in

Braubach Braubach is a municipality in the Rhein-Lahn-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Rhine, approx. 10 km southeast of Koblenz. Braubach has assorted medieval architecture intact, including ...

, Germany, gave the castle its present name: the Marksburg. Frequently, castle chapels were located near the gate or in the upper storey of the gate tower as, for example, at Wildenberg Castle in the

Odenwald The Odenwald () is a low mountain range in the German states of Hesse, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Location The Odenwald is located between the Upper Rhine Plain with the Bergstraße and the ''Hessisches Ried'' (the northeastern section ...

. This was in order to claim God's protection over the most vulnerable point in the castle. Though castle chapels might be used as a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

by inhabitants of towns associated with castles, it was rare for castles to incorporate burial grounds.Speight 2004, p. 276. Prominent examples are the

double chapel The double chapel, sometimes ''double church'', is a chapel or church building with two storeys that either have a central aperture enabling their simultaneous use for services or are completely separate, just connected by a staircase, and used f ...

s at imperial castles and '' Kaiserpfalzen'', for example the chapel of

Nuremberg Castle Nuremberg Castle (german: Nürnberger Burg) is a group of medieval fortified buildings on a sandstone ridge dominating the historical center of Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany. The castle, together with the city walls, is considered to be one ...

. For services, the

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...

were seated in their upper balconies and their retinue in the pews below. The design of the chapel stressed the differences in status.

Examples

St John's Chapel, London The Chapel of St John the Evangelist (St John's Chapel) is an 11th century chapel located in the Tower of London. Built in 1080, St John’s is the oldest surviving complete chapel from the early Norman period, and functions today as a chapel ...

, inside the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is sep ...

, whose buildings also include the

Church of St Peter ad Vincula The Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula ("St Peter in chains") is the former parish church of the Tower of London. It is situated within the Tower's Inner Ward, and the current building dates from 1520, although the church was established seve ...

, a parish church. * St George's Chapel, Windsor *

Altenstein Castle Chapel Altenstein Castle (german: Burg Altenstein) is a ruined castle in Altenstein (Markt Maroldsweisach) in the district of Haßberge in Lower Franconia, Germany. The family seat of the lords of Stein zu Altenstein, which died out in the 19th cent ...

Castle Chapel, Stargard Castle Stargard Castle is the northernmost extant hill castle in Germany. The 13th century castle, standing on a 90 m hill, and the eponymous small town in the valley below lie several kilometers southeast of Neubrandenburg, in the northeastern German ...

References

Literature

* * Barbara Schock-Werner (ed.): ''Burg- und Schloßkapellen. Kolloquium des Wissenschaftlichen Beirats der Deutschen Burgenvereinigung''. Stuttgart, 1995. * Ulrich Stevens: ''Burgkapellen. Andacht, Repräsentation und Wehrhaftigkeit im Mittelalter''. Darmstadt, 2003. * Gerhard Streich: ''Burg und Kirche während des deutschen Mittelalters. Untersuchungen zur Sakraltopographie von Pfalzen, Burgen und Herrensitzen''. Sigmaringen, 1984. * * {{Authority control Rooms Church architecture Castle architecture Chapels