St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle

St George's Chapel is the place of worship at Windsor Castle in England. It is both a royal peculiar and the chapel of the Order of the Garter. The chapel is governed by the Dean and Canons of Windsor.

The chapel is located in the Lower Ward of the castle, which is currently one of the principal residences of Queen Elizabeth II.

The day to day running of the chapel is the responsibility of the religious College of St George, which is directed by a chapter of the dean and four canons, assisted by a clerk, virger (traditional spelling of verger) and other staffers. The Society of the Friends of St George's and Descendants of the Knights of the Garter, a registered charity, was established in 1931 to assist the College in maintaining the chapel.

History

In 1348, King Edward III founded two new religious colleges: St Stephen's at Westminster and St George's at Windsor. The new college at Windsor was attached to the Chapel of St Edward the Confessor which had been constructed by Henry III in the early thirteenth century. The chapel was then rededicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, St Edward the Confessor and St George the Martyr. Edward III also built the Aerary Porch in 1353-1354. It was used as the town called rentinh.St George's Chapel became the Mother Church of the Order of the Garter, and a special service is still held in the chapel every June and is attended by the members of the order. Their heraldic banners hang above the upper stalls of the choir where they have a seat for life.

The period 1475-1528 saw a radical redevelopment of St George's Chapel, set in motion by Edward IV and continued by Henry VII and Henry VIII. The thirteenth century Chapel of St Edward the Confessor was expanded into a huge new Cathedral-like chapel under the supervision of Richard Beauchamp, bishop of Salisbury, and the direction of the master mason Henry Janyns. The Horseshoe Cloister was constructed for the new community of 45 junior members: 16 vicars, a deacon gospeller, 13 lay clerks, 2 clerks epistoler and 13 choristers.

St George's Chapel was a popular destination for pilgrims during the late medieval period. The chapel was purported to contain several important relics: the bodies of John Schorne and Henry IV and a fragment of the True Cross held in a reliquary called the Cross of Gneth. These relics all appear to have been displayed at the east end of the south choir aisle.

The Chapel suffered a great deal of destruction during the English Civil War. Parliamentary forces broke into and plundered the chapel and treasury on 23 October 1642. Further pillaging occurred in 1643 when the fifteenth-century chapter house was destroyed, lead was stripped off the chapel roofs, and elements of Henry VIII's unfinished funeral monument were stolen. Following his execution in 1649, Charles I was buried in a small vault in the centre of the choir at St George's Chapel which also contained the coffins of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour. A programme of repair was undertaken at St George's Chapel following the Restoration of the monarchy.

The reign of Queen Victoria saw further changes made to the architecture of the chapel. The east end of the choir was reworked in devotion to Prince Albert; the Lady Chapel, which had been abandoned by Henry VII, was completed; a royal mausoleum was completed underneath the choir; and a set of steps were built at the west end of the chapel to create a ceremonial entrance to the building.

Garter Service

Members of the order meet at Windsor Castle every June for the annual Garter Service. After lunch in the State Apartments in the Upper Ward of the Castle they process on foot, wearing their robes and insignia, down to St George's Chapel where the service is held. If any new members have been admitted to the Order they are installed at the service. After the service, the members of the order return to the Upper Ward by carriage or car.

The order once enjoyed frequent services at the chapel, but, after becoming infrequent in the 18th century, were discontinued after 1805. The ceremony was revived in 1948 by the Windsor King George VI for the 600th anniversary of the founding of the Order, and has since become an annual event.

Heraldry

After their installation, members are each assigned a stall in the chapel choir above which his or her heraldic devices are displayed.

A member's sword is placed below a helm which is decorated with a mantling and topped by a crest, coronet or crown. Above this, a member's heraldic banner is flown emblazoned with his or her arms. A much smaller piece of brass ("stall plate") is attached to the back of the stall displaying its member's name, arms and date of installation.

On a member's death, the sword, helm, mantling, crest, coronet or crown, and banner are removed. A ceremony marking the death of the late member must be held before the stall can be assigned to anyone else. This ceremony takes place in the chapel, during which the Military Knights of Windsor carry the banner of the deceased member and offer it to the Dean of Windsor, who places it on the altar.

The stall plates, however, are not removed; rather, they remain permanently affixed somewhere about the stall, so the stalls of the chapel are festooned with a colourful record of the members throughout history.

Chantries

St George's Windsor is among the most important and ambitious medieval chantry foundations to have survived in England. The college, itself a medieval chantry, also contains a number of independent chantries in the form of altars and small chapels dedicated to various members of the English monarchy and also to a number of prominent courtiers, deans and canons. Masses, the Office and prayers would be offered in these chantries for the good of the founder. Interestingly, Henry VIII had intended a chantry to be set up in the Chapel, despite the fact that he instituted the religious changes which brought about the Reformation in England and the eventual suppression of chantries.

The status of the college as a royal foundation saved it from dissolution at the Reformation. As a result, many of the smaller chantries within the chapel were preserved. These are the only remaining chantries of their kind in England which have never formally been suppressed.

Weddings

The chapel has been the site of many royal weddings, particularly of the children of Queen Victoria. These weddings include:
*The Prince Albert Edward, Prince of Wales and Princess Alexandra of Denmark in 1863 (later Edward VII and Queen Alexandra respectively)
*The Princess Louise and the Marquess of Lorne (later Duke of Argyll) in 1871
*The Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia in 1879
*The Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany and Princess Helena of Waldeck in 1882
*The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999
*Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly in 2008

In addition to the above, the union of The Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005 received a blessing from The Archbishop of Canterbury.

Burials

The chapel has been the site of many royal funerals and interments, and is presumed to be the place selected for the burial of Queen Elizabeth II upon her death. Royals interred here include:

Altar

*King Edward IV in 1483
*King Henry VI (reburial) in 1484
*Queen Elizabeth Woodville in 1492
*King Edward VII in 1910
*Queen Alexandra in 1925

Choir

*Queen Jane Seymour in 1537
*King Henry VIII in 1547
*King Charles I in 1649

Royal Vault

*Princess Amelia in 1810
*Princess Augusta in 1813
*Princess Charlotte in 1817
*Queen Charlotte in 1818
*Prince Edward in 1820
*King George III in 1820
*Princess Elizabeth in 1821
*Prince Frederick in 1827
*King George IV in 1830
*King William IV in 1837
*Princess Augusta in 1840
*Queen Adelaide in 1849
*King George V of Hanover in 1878
*Prince Leopold in 1884
*Prince Albert Victor in 1892
*Princess Mary Adelaide in 1897
*Prince Francis in 1900
*Prince Adolphus in 1930
*Princess Augusta in 1930

Near West Door

*King George V in 1936
*Queen Mary in 1953

King George VI Memorial Chapel (North Nave Aisle)

*King George VI in 1952
*Princess Margaret (ashes) in 2002
*Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother in 2002

ee also

*Choir of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
*List of Knights and Ladies of the Garter
*List of Ladies of the Garter
*Order of the Garter
*The Society of the Friends of St George's and Descendants of the Knights of the Garter
*Dean of Windsor
*Windsor Castle

References

*Begent, P.J. and Chesshyre, H. "The Most Noble Order of the Garter: 650 Years". Spink and Son Ltd. 1999.
*Lawrence Keen and Eileen Scarff, ed. "Windsor: Medieval Archaeology, Art and Architecture of the Thames Valley". Manley Publishing. 2002.
*Nigel Saul, ed. "St George's Chapel Windsor in the Fourteenth Century". The Boydell Press. 2005.
*Eileen Scarf and Colin Richmond, ed. "St George's Chapel, Windsor, in the Late Middle Ages". Windsor. 2001.
*http://www.stgeorges-windsor.org/history/hist_index.asp

External links

* [http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/registeredcharities/showcharity.asp?remchar=&chyno=1118295 Charity Commission website]
* [http://www.stgeorges-windsor.org/ Chapel website]
* [http://www.acny.org.uk/venue.php?V=19563&P=1 A church near you / what's on in the chapel]
* [http://www.heraldicsculptor.com/gartcres.html Crests for the Knights of the Garter]
* [http://www.ofchoristers.net/Chapters/Windsor.htm A history of the choristers of St George's Chapel Windsor]
* [http://www.thamesweb.co.uk/windsor/windsorhistory/winguide06a.html A guide to the chapel]