Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Ecclesiastical An endowment to cover expenses for the saying of masses and prayers, usually for the soul of the founder of the endowment.
- n. Ecclesiastical An altar or chapel endowed for the saying of such masses and prayers.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A church or chapel which in former times was endowed with lands or other revenue for the maintenance of one or more priests to sing or say mass daily for the soul of the donor or for the souls of persons named by him. Chantries were often attached to or formed a part of parish churches, generally containing the tomb of the founder, and many such still exist in England; but they were more frequently connected with abbeys and monasteries.
- n. A chapel attached to a church, in which minor services for prayer, singing, etc., Sunday-school meetings, and the like are held.
Wiktionary
- n. An endowment for the maintenance of a priest to sing a daily mass for the souls of specified people
- n. A chapel set up for this purpose
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. An endowment or foundation for the chanting of masses and offering of prayers, commonly for the founder.
- n. A chapel or altar so endowed.
WordNet 3.0
- n. an endowment for the singing of Masses
- n. a chapel endowed for singing Masses for the soul of the donor
Etymologies
- Middle English chanterie, from Old French, from chanter, to sing; see chant.
Examples
“Between the chancel and the chantry is the large tomb covering the remains of Thomas Fiennes, second Lord”
“The chantry was a foundation with endowment, the proceeds of which went to one or more priests carrying the obligation of singing or saying Mass at stated times, or daily, for the soul of the endower, or for the souls of persons named by him.”
“Strictly speaking, the chantry is the endowment, and in some cases it was attached to an existing chapel in which other Masses were commonly celebrated.”
“On other parts of the ceiling are the arms of Bishop Audley and those of the Deanery as well as a shield bearing the letters R.I. The upper part of the chantry, which is divided from the Lady Chapel by the top of the screen which serves as a kind of rail, may have been used as an oratory; but no remains of an altar have been found.”
“The stained windows, which form an interesting collection of arms and legends, are in memory of Archbishop Musgrave, once Bishop of Hereford, to whom there is also another window by Warrington in the wall of the aisle above the chantry, which is only 11 feet in height.”
“His chantry, which is on the south side of the nave, and occupies two bays of the aisle, was arranged by him before his death, and its richness is inversely proportionate to the degradation of his character.”
“The Church has done this for centuries (think of chantry chapels, endowments, etc.) and we never bat an eyelash.”
Anglican Church of Canada is hawking the silverware « Anglican Samizdat
“He wanted a chantry founded at the school so that schoolboys could sing masses daily to speed his soul to heaven—a practice that had been outlawed the previous decade, but which under Mary was now legal again.”
“It may have been a chantry chapel, where Masses would have been said for the soul of Queen Eleanor, wife of Edward I.”
“Instead, Denton diverted his funds to endow a chantry.”
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