Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

chapel of ease

American  

noun

Roman Catholic Church.
  1. a chapel in a remote part of a large parish, in which Mass is celebrated.


chapel of ease British  

noun

  1. a church built to accommodate those living at a distance from the parish church

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of chapel of ease

First recorded in 1530–40

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

No longer a regular parish, it is used for special occasions and is known as a "chapel of ease."

From Time Magazine Archive

To get around canon law, St. Mark's will technically be known as a "chapel of ease" rather than a parish for Catholics, but it will nonetheless be an approved place of worship.

From Time Magazine Archive

If a parish be of greater extent than ordinary, it hath generally a chapel of ease; and some of the parishes have two such chapels, besides the church, for the greater convenience of the parishioners.

From The History of Virginia, in Four Parts by Beverley, Robert

In it stands the Church of St. John the Evangelist, a chapel of ease to St. Peter's, Eaton Square.

From Mayfair, Belgravia, and Bayswater The Fascination of London by Besant, Walter, Sir

St. Paul’s, situated at Falmouth, was entirely destroyed; as also St. Stephen’s chapel of ease, the district church of All Saints, and the chapel schools of St. Bartholomew’s and St. Mark’s, not long ago erected.

From Antigua and the Antiguans, Volume II (of 2) A full account of the colony and its inhabitants from the time of the Caribs to the present day by Anonymous

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training