A chapel is an oratory.
A chapel is a construction that is part of a church or is located next to it, having an altar and being consecrated to a certain devotion. The term finds its etymological root in the Latin language .
The concept is also used to name a portable or private oratory . For example: "Father Martín is praying in the chapel" , "Tomorrow at 9 a.m. there will be a mass in the school chapel to remember the deceased student" , "The ceremony will be held in the Chapel of Guadalupe" .
Types of chapels
You can distinguish between multiple types of chapels. If the chapel is located inside a church , we can speak of a main chapel (when it is located in the main sector) or a side chapel (located in a nave on one side of the main building). A royal chapel , on the other hand, is located inside a palace, while a private chapel is part of a private home.
The Sistine Chapel , part of St. Peter's Basilica (located in Vatican City ), is one of the most famous chapels in the world . The popularity of the temple is linked to the presence of great works of art, such as the mural known as "The Last Judgment" made by Michelangelo in the 16th century .
The chapels have an altar.
The term in different expressions
The idea of a chapel is also used for the construction of various expressions. One of them is "being in chapel" , which refers to being waiting for a decision that may entail a sanction or being on the verge of punishment: "I am in chapel: the principal who told me that if any teacher turns complain about my conduct, he will expel me .
On the other hand, in some Spanish-speaking regions it is said that someone "is a chapel" or "capillita" to refer to their great devotion to the Christian religion. This usually has negative connotations, although it is not an insult but rather a criticism in a friendly tone, or an opinion about someone with whom we do not agree with everything but do not feel anything against them either.
Chapel in Badajoz
As its proper name, Capilla is a municipality in Spain located in the province of Badajoz , which in turn belongs to the autonomous community of Extremadura . It borders Córdoba and Ciudad Real and numerous accidents can be seen on its land. This municipality has been populated since ancient times, something proven by the many cave paintings among other evidence.
During the time that the Romans dominated certain territories of the Iberian Peninsula (which are jointly called Hispania Romana ), Capilla did not cease to have a large and important population: Pliny the Younger himself, a prominent scientist, writer and lawyer. of the old Empire, he referred to it as a "distinguished municipality" and considered it a fundamental strategic point to maintain communications between Córdoba , Seville , Toledo , Mérida and Almadén .
The etymology
With respect to its etymology, it is interesting to note that this simply takes us to the diminutive of the term cape , and it is likely that its use comes from one of the customs of the kings of France , which consisted of asking that the cape be placed in their tent. cape of Saint Martin of Tours , a Catholic bishop patron of many sites. In this way, they began to refer to the store as a chapel and to the clerics who worked in it, chaplains .
In this framework, if we refer to the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) we will find a meaning of the word chapel that defines it as "a hood that is attached to the neck of habits, overcoats or capes."