The Fitzalan Chapel, located in the western grounds of Arundel Castle in West Sussex, is a rare example of a medieval village church divided into two parts: an Anglican section for the village and a Catholic section for the castle and the Duke’s family. This unique division is marked by a wrought-iron screen, through which one can see the other part of the church, but each section has a separate entrance.
The church comprises the nave of the Parish Church of St. Nicholas and the Collegiate Chapel. While the Parish Church is accessible from the old London Road, the Fitzalan Chapel is exclusively accessible through the Castle grounds. The chancel of the Fitzalan Chapel serves as the private mausoleum for the Dukes of Norfolk.
A notable feature of the chapel is the medieval tomb of Thomas Fitzalan, the 5th Earl of Arundel (1381-1415), and his wife Beatrice, the illegitimate daughter of King John I of Portugal. The tomb chest, adorned with double alabaster effigies originally painted and gilded, is surrounded by 28 niches containing priest figure. They likely symbolise the canons of the College of the Holy Trinity in Arundel, which was founded in 1380 by Richard Fitzalan, the 4th Earl of Arundel (1346–1397). This college was established as a chantry foundation, where priests (canons) were responsible for offering prayers and masses for the souls of the Fitzalan family.
