Chapel of Our Lady of the Crag

About

The Chapel of Our Lady of the Crag is a 'Marian' shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary and her son, Jesus Christ. The Chapel was built by someone known as 'John the Mason' in 1408. A Royal Charter attests to the date, but the rest of the founding story is either legend or conjecture! John the Mason probably worked to obtain stone for Knaresborough Castle from the nearby quarry. The story goes that his son was almost killed by a rock fall in the quarry. John fervently prayed to the Virgin Mary to save him. When he emerged, miraculously unscathed, from the rubble, John built this chapel in thanksgiving. There are two other reasons that might have prompted him to have hewn the Chapel out of the rock. Firstly, the Chapel is a wayside shrine, and in 1408 it was en route to Knaresborough's priory (destroyed at the Reformation). Secondly, John would have loved to have displayed his skills to the people of his day; the Chapel is the work of a master craftsman, with a carved altar, vaulted ceiling, roof bosses and gargoyles, looking every bit like an erected building, but with a special quality, created from the crag itself. A volunteer group look after the site and open the Chapel to visitors and pilgrims, they raise funds for the upkeep of the Chapel and minor site maintenance projects. The chapel is open 2pm - 4pm on Sundays from Easter until the end of September (weather permitting). To arrange a visit outside of these times please contact us at

At a glance

• Typical visit: about 30 minutes