Savoy, the, chapel in London, between the Strand and the Thames River. Its name is derived from the palace of Peter of Savoy, uncle of Eleanor of Provence, wife of Henry III. Destroyed (1381) in the Peasants' Revolt, the palace was rebuilt (1505) as the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem by Henry VII and finally destroyed when its foundations were removed in 1810 before the Waterloo Bridge was built. The chapel, which was connected with the hospital, is maintained by the crown. The Savoy Conference of 12 bishops of the Church of England and 12 Puritan divines was convened in 1661. They tried to revise the Book of Common Prayer but could not reach agreement. Near the chapel is the Savoy Theatre, erected in 1881 by Richard D'Oyly Carte for the production of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: British and Irish Physical Geography
