Chantries

A chantry is an ecclesiastical term that may have either of two related meanings: a chantry service, a set of Christian liturgical celebrations for the dead (made up of the Requiem Mass and the Office of the Dead), or a chantry chapel, a building on private land, or an area in a parish church or cathedral reserved for the performance of these celebrations. In the Medieval Era through to the Age of Enlightenment it was commonly believed such liturgies might help atone for misdeeds and assist the soul to obtain eternal peace.