A chapel is a small place of worship, standing alone as an independent structure; or a room for worship of varying shape and size, within a larger and more complex architectural structure, such as the chapel of a palace (a palatine chapel, in particular, is generally associated with imperial or royal residences), a castle, a cemetery, or annexed to a church. Chapels were founded for votive, funerary and commemorative purposes, or for private worship, and became widespread in the East and West from the Early Christian period onwards.