A building attached to a cathedral or monastery where the clergy or monks meet to conduct business and discuss important matters.
Compound of 'chapter' (the body of clergy) and 'house' (building). The chapter house is where chapter meetings occur, dating back to the medieval monastic tradition.
Chapter houses were the medieval equivalent of boardrooms—beautiful octagonal or polygonal rooms where bishops and abbots made decisions that shaped kingdoms, and many still survive as architectural treasures today.
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