A chapel is a small building that is intended for prayers. The chapel is smaller than the church - it can even be the size of an icon case (a place for storing icons and other church utensils), or it can accommodate several people. Unlike the church, the chapel does not have an altar - there are only icons, a place for setting candles and lamps. Anyone can build a chapel with the permission of the church authorities, the main thing is to follow some rules. If you also decided to build a chapel, this guide can help you.
Instructions
Step 1
Choose a site for the future chapel. Remember that the chapel is a place where anyone can come to pray, so you can install it on your private territory, but only if you can guarantee everyone access to it. Since ancient times, open places have been chosen for chapels, such as mountain plateaus, road forks, forests.
If you are going to install a chapel not on your own territory, but on a public one, then the construction will require permission not only from the representatives of the church, but also from the owners of the land.
In addition, it is better not to put the chapel in a noisy and lively place - this will in no way contribute to creating the mood necessary for prayer.
Step 2
Sketch a sketch of the future chapel. Check out examples of chapels, study illustrations using specialized literature or the Internet. Decide what size your chapel will be. Think over its design and dimensions in advance. Decide what kind of material it will be - brick, wood, or something else. Of course, wood was and remains the most traditional material for building a chapel.
Step 3
Now it is necessary to obtain permission and blessing from the church authorities for the construction of the chapel. To receive them, you will need to justify the construction of a chapel in the selected location. It will be quite difficult to do this if, for example, you decide to install a chapel in a cemetery, next to the grave of a loved one. For you, the reason for the construction is quite understandable - you would like to have a place where you can calmly pray, retire. But in this case, other people must also use the chapel, otherwise your goal will be too selfish. So think about it ahead of time. If you decide to put a chapel in an open place, then its location next to a church or other chapel, or where there are almost no parishioners, may also be considered unreasonable. To obtain permission to build a chapel, first contact the priest of the nearest church. He will tell you what to do next, and think about whether someone will be in the chapel all the time. If it is large enough and suitable for conducting services, then you will need to find a priest who can conduct them.
Step 4
Draw up a project for the future chapel. After that, you will have to agree on it in several instances - in the SES, in the fire department, with the district architect. Only after obtaining all permits can you start construction. You can build the chapel on your own, or you can contact the builders. But usually they build chapels with their own hands, purchasing building materials with their own money.
Step 5
After the construction of the chapel is completed, it is necessary to arrange its interior decoration. You will need icons, icon lamps and other church utensils. You can buy all this, or you can ask the residents to donate icons and other items for the chapel.
Step 6
After construction, the chapel needs to be consecrated. To do this, contact the priest again. After the chapel is ready, you can open it for the parishioners.
