Chapel Royal, Hampton Court

About

The Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace is the historic chapel of Hampton Court Palace, located in East Molesey, Surrey, England. It forms part of the complex of royal chapels known collectively as the Chapels Royal, which serve the spiritual needs of the sovereign and the royal household. The chapel has been in continuous use for over 480 years and is noted for its rich blue and gold Tudor roof and association with Henry VIII and subsequent monarchs.

The chapel was originally built in 1518 by Thomas Wolsey, Archbishop of York and Cardinal, part of Hampton Court Palace. However, just ten years after completing the building, Wolsey was forced to surrender it to King Henry VIII. Wolsey's fall from the king's favour was caused by his failure to secure the annulment of the King's marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Following Henry VIII's divorce and the break with Rome, the chapel became a royal place of worship for the newly formed Church of England. It played a key role in the Tudor court: in 1540, it was here that Henry VIII received news of the execution of Thomas Cromwell. Later, in 1540, it was in the Chapel Royal that Archbishop Thomas Cranmer handed...