The Jesus Chapel in St Paul's Cathedral, London: A Reconstruction of its Appearance Before the Reformation

Abstract

The Jesus Chapel was located beneath the New Work at the east end of St Paul's Cathedral, and was remembered by that name long after the parish of St Faith had taken control of the space following the dissolution of the Fraternity of the Holy Name, the previous occupants of the Jesus Chapel. Although the chapel disappeared along with the rest of the medieval building following the cataclysm of 1666, archaeological investigations, pre-Fire illustrations and, most importantly, documentary evidence from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries provide invaluable evidence for the appearance of the chapel. This paper utilizes a range of evidence to suggest how the Jesus Chapel may have appeared on the eve of the Reformation; particular attention will be paid to the furnishings and fittings of the building, and to the use (and occasional abuse) of this remarkable place of worship.