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St Stephen's Church, Skipton Virtual Tour - the Lady Chapel |
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>> Introduction > Exterior > Nave & Gallery > Sanctuary > Side chapel > Convent <<
It is called the Tempest chapel because all around the walls are memorial tablets of marble and brass to the Tempest family. It is called the Martyrs' chapel because the Altar here is dedicated to the Martyrs of England. It is called the Tribune because this was an enclosed area in which the nuns from the convent and their school-girl charges would attend daily Mass. However, the name Lady Chapel is the oldest and the most correct as the iconography of the chapel all point toward its being so designated. Lady Chapels are commonly found in churches and often on the South side. They were dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and were popular in the Middle Ages for the Mothers' and Ladies' Guilds. Votive Masses in honour of the Blessed Virgin were also said in Lady Chapels and possibly the Little Hours of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a popular medieval devotion.
The side Altar housed in this chapel was erected in 1932 by Brigadier-General Roger Tempest and his sister Blanche in memory of their parents Arthur Cecil and Eleanor Blanche. Their coats of arms stand out on the base of the altar. Carved on the gradine (ledge) behind the altar are the words :"Beati Martyres Angliae, O(rate) P(ro) N(obis)" which means 'Blessed Martyrs of England, pray for us." The little tabernacle here is fashioned from brass and on the door is inscribed the Five Wounds of Christ, an emblem of the Pilgrimage of Grace (1536) when northern England rose in protest against Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries. Nicholas Tempest was subsequently martyred at Tyburn. Thus it is unsurprising that memorials to the Tempests,
many whom are buried in the crypt of the church, are also placed here. This chapel also houses the Font which is used for parish baptisms. Also here is the relic of St Stephen. In a letter from Walter Joseph Tempest to his brother Sir Charles, dated 9 June 1848 he wrote: "A short way out of the Porta San Stefano in Jerusalem, is a place where St Stephen was martyred. The form of his body was imprinted on the rock where he was stoned... I have therefore applied to the Patriarch for leave to take a lump of the rock which he granted me... I send you the authentication... It is a great treasure." This treasure is now housed in a relic case in the Lady Chapel and a small shrine with an icon of St Stephen's martyrdom was placed here for the veneration of the faithful and their contemplation of the first Christian martyr.
One can leave the church from here and emerge from the side door of the convent, shown in the photograph below:
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This
side chapel is in the South transept of the church and was part of the
1853 additions. In the architectural plans drawn up at that time it was
called the Lady Chapel. However, over the years it has adopted a variety
of names each suited to its changing usage: Tempest chapel, Martyrs'
chapel and the Tribune.
They cover a range of styles from neo-medieval to neo-Classical to modern.
