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Many medieval rooms use stone vaulting supported by columns in the centre of the space, as used for other more utilitarian large rooms in monasteries with a generous budget. Others have much higher roofs. The shape of the room is usually designed to allow good audibility for speakers from all
410:(hall for eating). But by at least 1000 such a room had become normal in large monastic establishments. The east side of the cloister on which the chapter house was often located was usually the first to be constructed; it would have been begun shortly after the church walls were built.
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of the monastery, and is often highly ornamented. Typically there is seating around, often built into, all the walls of the room, often in stone, with the central space left open. The seats for the senior members are often larger than the others, and may be raised on a
249:, which is next to the church. Since many cathedrals in England were originally monastic foundations, this is a common arrangement there also. Elsewhere it may be a separate building. The chapter house comprises a large space, in order to hold all the
294:, now mostly lost, though not at York. Except at Westminster Abbey any paintings have been lost, but English designs, with their emphasis on carved arcades and windows, did not leave the large wall spaces found in most Continental chapter houses.
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398:(c. 820) is the plan for an ideal 9th century monastery, with a great variety of buildings and rooms, but none that really can be assigned the function of chapterhouse; nor is such a room mentioned by
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of the college meet there. The rooms may also be used for other meetings of various sorts; in medieval times monarchs on tour in their territory would often take them over for their meetings and audiences.
348:, and contain huge bold mythical beasts that are some of the finest survivals of Romanesque palace decoration. In modern settings, the chapterhouse may simply be (or use) an ordinary office
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frames for the seats. English chapter houses tend to be more elaborate and highly decorated than
Continental ones, and the octagonal shape allowed for spectacular displays of
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meets there. In monasteries, the whole community often met there daily for readings and to hear the abbot or senior monks talk. When attached to a collegiate church, the
376:', for the correction of faults, the assigning of the tasks for the day, and for the exhortation of the superior, and again for the evening Collation or reading before
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301:, was used from the erection of the present building for royal meetings, including many of the royal council, and was the usual location for meetings of the
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parts of the room. It may be rectangular, tending towards the square, but octagonal and other near-circular plans are an
English speciality, with that at
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Important examples of chapter houses from an architectural or artistic point of view can be seen at:
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or meeting room. When it is a separate building, this often consists of just the single main room.
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has a wooden roof and no central column. Many have elaborate benched arcades round the wall, with
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344:, now spread across museums in Spain and the United States, originally decorated the monastery of
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The
Necrology was a list of death anniversaries for the community and persons of interest to it.
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When part of a monastery, the chapter house is generally located on the eastern wing of the
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palm tree like central pillar carrying 32 lierne ribs that form the inner part of the vault
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Building or room that is part of a cathedral, monastery or collegiate church
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Historical Images of
Chapter House at Westminster Abbey circa 1870 - 1990
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The community of monks would meet in the chapter house with the
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monasteries, the entrance to the chapter house has an elaborate
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Non-religious use of the circular chapter house style of plan:
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in which meetings are held. When attached to a cathedral, the
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The former chapterhouse, now the "Spanish Chapel", at the
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and similar meetings often took place in chapter houses.
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Late Gothic with
Manueline elements, in central Portugal
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Museum installation of the
Romanesque frescos from the
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The chapter house from the 1750s in the old town of
56:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
867:. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 855.
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702:from the cathedral tower, with cloister at right
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297:At Westminster the chapter house, opposite the
608:French Romanesque chapter house now moved to
806:The modern boardroom-style Chapter house at
148:The chapter house of Wells Cathedral, built
332:with a door surrounded by highly decorated
266:probably the earliest. Most, like those at
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116:Learn how and when to remove this message
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552:Convent of the Order of Christ in Tomar
313:(the national archives) soon after the
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368:"; that is, "for the reading of the '
840:. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
499:the earliest English octagonal annex
54:adding citations to reliable sources
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536:in Florence, with important frescos
465:- octagonal, unusually for Scotland
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626:Monastery of Santa MarĂa de Sigena
565:Basilica di Santa Croce di Firenze
450:Monastery of Santa MarĂa de Sigena
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41:needs additional citations for
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21:Chapter house (disambiguation)
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569:Renaissance architecture
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864:Encyclopædia Britannica
887:Cathedral architecture
471:, Romanesque in Poland
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346:San Pedro de Arlanza
311:Public Record Office
164:Canterbury cathedral
132:The Chapterhouse at
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19:For other uses, see
808:Guildford Cathedral
700:Salisbury Cathedral
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315:English Reformation
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264:Worcester Cathedral
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67: –
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61:Find sources:
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39:This article
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28:
27:
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765:Pazzi Chapel
750:Pazzi Chapel
735:York Minster
654:Entrance at
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558:Pazzi Chapel
522:, France, a
514:York Minster
444:
424:Bornem Abbey
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284:York Minster
280:Lacock Abbey
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211:prebendaries
187:chapterhouse
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48:Please help
43:verification
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372:' and the '
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153: 1300
881:Categories
815:References
639:The royal
562:Franciscan
334:archivolts
322:Romanesque
307:Henry VIII
76:newspapers
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350:boardroom
288:crocketed
195:monastery
191:cathedral
414:Examples
320:In some
247:cloister
595:Gallery
560:at the
378:Complin
366:chapter
338:frescos
90:scholar
720:Kuopio
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326:Gothic
230:Design
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391:The
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718:in
456:in
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52:by
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