Can a chapel be both a sanctuary and a battleground? At Merton College Chapel, the answer echoes through the centuries. Merton College Chapel isn’t just a beautiful building. It’s a living testament to faith, scholarship, and resilience. Constructed in the 13th century, Merton College Chapel replaced the older church of St. John the Baptist. The magnificent choir, with its massive east window, was finished by 1294. This window shows the shift from the rigid geometric style of Early English architecture to a more relaxed approach.
Merton College Chapel has a unique feature. Much of its original medieval stained glass remains. Twelve of the fourteen sidewall windows in the Quire have 13th-century glass. This glass, a gift from Henry Mansfield, dates back to between 1289 and 1296. The Annunciation scene in the East Window is also from the late 13th century. The chapel served both the college and the parish of St. John until 1891. This explains its large size and the presence of a north door opening onto the street.
The Reformation brought turmoil. During Edward VI’s reign, medieval stained glass was boarded and whitewashed for protection. Wall paintings met a worse fate, destroyed in 1651. The chapel saw the removal of its traditional service books, vestments, and images. Mary I’s reign briefly restored Catholicism and was embraced by the college. However, Elizabeth I reinstated Protestantism, leading to a three-week siege of Merton College by Archbishop Matthew Parker.
By the 17th century, the chapel was in disrepair. Between 1646 and 1655, the glass in the transepts and the lower East Window was broken. In 1634, the medieval floor tiles were replaced with marble. The south transept roof collapsed in 1655, damaging monuments. Rebuilding projects followed, with Christopher Wren designing a new screen and classical-style stalls in 1671. In the 20th century, during World War II, the stained glass was removed for safekeeping under the New Bodleian Library. A significant moment occurred in 1967, when the first Roman Catholic Mass since the Reformation was celebrated in the chapel. In more recent years, Merton College Chapel’s musical tradition has flourished with the establishment of a choral foundation in 2008. The choir has gained international recognition for its performances, recordings, and broadcasts. The addition of a new Dobson organ in 2013 further enhanced the chapel’s musical capabilities. As you stand before Merton College Chapel today, consider its long and tumultuous journey. It’s a story of survival, adaptation, and the enduring power of faith and learning.