Chapel of St John the Evangelist

To fully appreciate, see extra large view here

St. John’s Chapel, or the Chapel of St. John the Evangelist, dating from 1080, is the oldest church in London.

A beautiful Romanesque chapel, situated in the White Tower, Tower of London, it was constructed from stone imported from France, and has a tunnel-vaulted nave with an east apse and groin-vaulted aisles, and the gallery above curves around the apse. Thick, round piers support unmoulded arches, notable for their simplicity.

The Chapel was routinely used to store state documents, though by tradition it was the scene of some of the great events in British royal history. In 1503 the body of Elizabeth of York, wife of Henry VII, lay in state in the Chapel after her death in the Tower during childbirth. It was also here that Henry VIII’s eldest daughter, Mary was betrothed to Philip of Spain by proxy in 1554.

Canon 40D Sigma 10-20 EX DC HSM