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The Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster (Westminster Abbey), a mainly Gothic church, on the scale of a cathedral, in London is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English monarchs.
History
According to tradition, a shrine was first founded here in 616 on a site then known as
Thorney Island. It was said
to have been miraculously consecrated after a fisherman on the River Thames
saw a vision of Saint Peter. While the existence of this shrine is uncertain,
the historic Abbey was built by Edward the Confessor
between 1045-1050 and was consecrated on December 28, 1065. Its construction originated
in Edward's failure to keep a vow to go on pilgrimage; the Pope suggested that he redeem himself by building an Abbey.
The original Abbey, in the Romanesque style that is called "Norman" in England, was built to house Benedictine monks. It was rebuilt in the Gothic style between 1245-1517. The first phase of the rebuilding was organised by Henry III, in Gothic style, as a shrine to honor Edward the Confessor and as a suitably
regal setting for Henry's own tomb, under the highest Gothic nave in England. The work was largely finished by the architect
Henry Yevele in the reign of King
Richard II. Henry VII added a Perpendicular style chapel
dedicated to the Virgin Mary in 1503
(known as the Henry VII Lady Chapel).
Although the Abbey was seized by Henry VIII during the
Dissolution of the Monasteries in
1534, and closed in 1540, its royal connections saved
it from the destruction wrought on most other English abbeys. The expression "robbing Peter to pay Paul" may arise from this
period when money meant for the Abbey, which was dedicated to St. Peter, was
diverted to the treasury of St. Paul's Cathedral. It
suffered damage during the turbulent 1640s, when it was attacked by Puritan iconoclasts, but was again
protected by its close ties to the state during the Commonwealth period. Oliver Cromwell
was given an elaborate funeral there in 1658, only to be disinterred in January 1661 and posthumously hanged from a nearby gibbet.
The Abbey was restored to the Benedictines under Queen Mary,
but they were again ejected under Queen Elizabeth I in
1559. In 1579, Elizabeth re-established Westminster
as a "royal peculiar" – a church responsible directly to the sovereign, rather than the Archbishop of Canterbury – and made it the
Collegiate Church of St. Peter, the college being Westminster School. Since then, the head has been not a bishop but a dean, appointed by the monarch.
The abbey's two western towers were built between 1722 and 1745 by Sir Christopher Wren and Nicholas Hawksmoor, constructed from Portland stone to an early example of a Gothic
Revival design. Further rebuilding and restoration occurred in the 19th
century under Sir George Gilbert Scott.
Westminster Abbey's western facade
Until the 19th century, Westminster was the third seat of learning in England, after Oxford and Cambridge. It was here that the first third of the
King James Bible Old Testament and the last half of the New
Testament were translated. The New English Bible was also put
together here in the 20th century.
Coronations
King Harold II Godwinson was the first monarch crowned
in the Abbey in 1066. On Christmas Day of the same year William the Conqueror was crowned here and all subsequent English
monarchs (except Lady Jane Grey, Edward V and Edward VIII, who did not have coronations) have been crowned there. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the traditional cleric in the coronation ceremony. Harold and William, however, were crowned by the Archbishop of York possibly because Stigand, the Archbishop of Canterbury
was excomunicated at the time.
Burials
Henry III rebuilt the Abbey in honour of the Royal Saint Edward the Confessor whose memorial and relics were placed in the
Sanctuary. Henry III was buried nearby as were the Plantagenet kings of
England, their wives and relatives. Subsequently, most Kings and Queens of England were buried here. Although Henry VIII and most of the monarchs after Charles I are buried at Windsor.
Aristocrats were buried in side chapels and monks and people associated with the Abbey
were buried in the Cloisters and other areas. One of these was Geoffrey
Chaucer who was buried here as he had apartments in the Abbey as he was employed as master of the Kings Works. Other poets
were buried around Chaucer in what became known as Poets' Corner. Abbey
musicians such as Henry Purcell were also buried in their place of work.
Subsequently it became an honour to be buried or memorialised here. The practice spread from aristocrats and poets to Generals,
Admirals, politicians, scientists, doctors etc. etc. These include:
Buried Nave
North Transept
South Transept
Cloisters
North Choir Aisle
Commemorated
See also Poets' Corner. Oliver Cromwell was buried in the abbey but Charles II ordered his remains removed.
Schools
Westminster School and Westminster Abbey Choir School are also on the
grounds of the Abbey. Westminster School was originally founded by the Benedictine monks in 1179.
Transport
See also
Further reading
- Simon Bradley & Nikolaus Pevsner: The Buildings of
England - London 6: Westminster pp. 105-207. Yale University Press 2003. ISBN 0 300 09595 3.
External link
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