King's Chapel, Gibraltar
| King's Chapel | |
|---|---|
Interior of the King's Chapel, Gibraltar
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| 36°08′14″N 5°21′12″W / 36.13727°N 5.353319°WCoordinates: 36°08′14″N 5°21′12″W / 36.13727°N 5.353319°W | |
| Location | Main Street |
| Country |
 Gibraltar
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| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | http://kingschapel.synthasite.com/ |
| History | |
| Founded | 1530s |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Chapel |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architect(s) | Various |
| Architectural type | Mixed |
| Style | Mixed |
King's Chapel is a small chapel in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It is located at the southern end of Main Street and adjoins the Governor of Gibraltar's residence, The Convent. What nowadays is King's Chapel was the first purpose built church to be constructed in Gibraltar. Originally part of a Franciscan friary, the chapel was built in the 1530s but was given to the Church of England by the British after the capture of Gibraltar in 1704. It was badly damaged in the late 18th century during the Great Siege of Gibraltar and in the explosion of an ammunition ship in Gibraltar harbour in 1951, but was restored on both occasions. From 1844 to 1990 it served as the principal church of the British Army in Gibraltar; since then it has been used by all three services of the British Armed Forces.
After Castille captured Gibraltar from the Moors in 1462, friars from the Franciscan order established a presence in the city and constructed a friary and church there. Although two other churches already existed – the Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned and the Shrine of Our Lady of Europe – these had originally been established as mosques and had been converted into Christian churches by the Spanish. The Franciscans' church, next door to the friary, was thus the first wholly new church to be built in Gibraltar.
In 1704, a combined force from Great Britain and the Dutch Republic captured Gibraltar during the War of the Spanish Succession. The newly installed British Governor took over the friary, known as The Convent, as his official residence (for which purpose it is still used today). The Franciscan church was handed over to the Church of England and was renamed as "The King's Chapel". It was the only religious institution to remain open for services in Gibraltar following the conquest of the city. Francis Carter wrote in 1771: "The Church of the Convent is kept open for Divine Service, and the only one in the town, all other chapels and places of worship having been turned into storehouses to the great scandal of the Spanish and inconvenience of the Protestants." Baptisms were registered there from 1769, marriages from 1771 and burials from 1780, though a regular marriage register was not kept until 1794.
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Wikipedia