chapterhouse

In church architecture, a building in which the canonical chapter of a monastery, cathedral, or collegiate church meets for the discussion of its affairs. It is often elaborately designed and ornamented, and usually polygonal, or octagonal, as at Lichfield and York. The position of the chapterhouse is usually to the west of the transepts of the church, to which it is connected either directly or by a passage from the cloister. Crypts are occasionally found beneath the floor.

Benedictine chapterhouses are usually square, as at Canterbury, but Westminster has an octagonal and Worcester a circular one. The chapterhouse at Lincoln is a decagon. That at York preserves its original stained-glass windows, while that at Westminster retains its original frescoes. At Ripon the usual central shaft is replaced by two central pillars supporting the ceiling, and there is an apsidal end.