Memorial

A Catholic chapel belonging to the Portuguese Embassy at 24 Golden Square existed here in the early 18th century. In 1747 the Portuguese Embassy moved elsewhere and the house and chapel were taken over by the Bavarian Embassy. The chapel was severely damaged and its contents burnt during the Gordon Riots of 1780. The present chapel was opened on 12th March 1790, the feast of St. Gregory the Great, and has been served ever since by the London clergy. In 1854 it became a parish church, with the title 'Church of the Assumption', but continued to be known as the Bavarian Chapel until the early 20th century. The sanctuary, built around 1880, was intended to be part of a reconstruction of the interior that was never carried out. The chapel is the only remaining Catholic Embassy Chapel of the Penal Times.