St Stephen’s Chapel was commissioned by Stephen and Marietta Ralli in memory of their eldest son Augustus, who died at Eton of rheumatic fever in March 1872, aged just 16. It was designed by James Thomas Knowles (1806-1884; buried in grave 8,643, square 75, monument destroyed). 

The overall design of the Chapel was inspired by a 5th century BC Greek temple. The northern (main) exterior is based on the Parthenon and the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens. The Chapel’s simple columns are in the Greek Doric style. The Greek lettering on the architrave, above the columns, translates as “The trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised” (1 Corinthians 15:52).

The figures in the pediment (the triangular gable) depict a Christian resurrection scene, with the Archangel Gabriel in the centre, flanked by two angels holding trumpets. The frieze beneath this depicts scenes from the Old and New Testaments. A plaque near the main double doors records that the last major restoration of the Chapel was funded by John Pateras in 1974.

The rear (southern) portico is undecorated and includes two side doors flanking a central etched window showing Christ ascending with angels. It was designed by Harold Warren Wilson (1894-1968) and added in 1952 when bomb damage from World War II was repaired.

The Chapel’s central space was once used for funeral services. The ceiling is hand painted and was fully restored in 2024 as part of the National Lottery Heritage Fund project. It is decorated with stars, crosses, classical fretwork and honeysuckle patterns. A carved bier and mahogany benches by the Foster Graham Company were made and installed in 1884. A plaque on the west wall records that the Chapel was built by Stephen and Marietta Ralli in memory of their eldest son.

The right hand (or eastern) side chapel contains the entrances to the private vaults of the Ralli family. There are a number of inscriptions on the side wall commemorating members of the family buried here.

The left hand (or western) side chapel was used as a mortuary. The stone pillars were used to support coffins of the deceased awaiting burial in the grounds outside (for instance awaiting the completion of a vault or mausoleum) or awaiting transportation back to Greece. 

You can explore the Chapel in more detail using this 3D model. 

Photographs courtesy of Robert Stephenson