What is the difference between an Abbey, Chapel, Church & Cathedral ?
An Abbey is a building used for worship by a religious community presided over by an Abbot. Examples: Westminster, Bath and Hexham Abbeys. A chapel can be simply a part of a building used for worship (example the chapel of the Tower of London or the chapel of Hampton Court Palace) or a place of worship of a Nonconformist denomination — example, Westminster Chapel. A Church is a description of any formal building used for Christian worship, but tends to be applied to smaller buildings and to the Established Church rather than Nonconformist churches. A Cathedral is a large place of worship which takes its name from the Latin word for chair (cathedra) because it always contains a special chair for the use of the bishop of the Diocese (area coming under the Cathedral) when he is in attendance. Examples: Exeter, St David’s, Wells and Hereford Cathedrals.