Report on Westminster Abbey. Westminster Abbey - a symbol of Britain

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Publication date: 2014-01-26

(Eng. Westminster Abbey) - the modern unofficial name of the Collegiate Church of St. Peter in Westminster, one of the most important religious buildings in Great Britain, which has become the traditional place for the coronation and burial of English, and later British monarchs since the 11th century.

For many centuries, the monastery complex was the third most important center of learning and education in the country (after Cambridge and Oxford). It was within the walls of the abbey that the main part of the work of translating the Bible into English was carried out. Also, 16 royal weddings were held here, the latest of which was the wedding ceremony of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Initially, the name "Westminster Abbey" was used to refer to a Catholic monastery, which includes a complex of buildings and buildings, of which only the main attraction, the Collegiate Church of St. Peter, has survived to this day. Thus, today Westminster Abbey is a church and not an abbey in the traditional sense of the term.

History of Westminster Abbey

According to a well-known legend, at the beginning of the 7th century, near the ford across the Thames to the west of London, a local fisherman named Aldrich saw the image of St. Peter, the patron saint of fishermen, above the river. On the site of the appearance of the image, a church was founded, which received the name West Minster(from English west - west and minster - monastery church). An interesting fact is that in the Middle Ages, fishermen from nearby villages paid a salmon tax to the abbey, and it is quite possible that the legend was invented just to justify the exactions.

It is generally accepted that the founders of the West Minster church were Mellitus, Bishop of London (died 626) and the first Christian king of Essex, Sabert (died 616; his grave can be seen within the walls of the abbey). However, the first truly historically reliable evidence dates back to the 960s, when St. Dunstan, supported by King Edgar, founded a community of monks of the Order of St. Benedict at West Minster Church.

Edward the Confessor - founder of Westminster Abbey

The most important role in the history of the abbey was played by King Edward the Confessor, known for his piety (reigned 1042-1065). He began a massive refurbishment of the old West Minster church into a grandiose architectural structure for use as a royal tomb. By order of the king, the Benedictine community received the status of an abbey (Catholic monastery) and good land plots. The new church, built in honor of St. Peter, was completed in 1090, but consecrated much earlier - at the end of 1065 (just a week before the death of Edward the Confessor). The burial of the king, and nine years later his wife, became the first burials of royal persons in the newly formed Westminster Abbey.

Edward the Confessor built next to the abbey and the royal palace, which until 1512 served as the residence of the English kings, and then - the seat of Parliament. It is believed, though not documented, that his successor Harold II (the last Anglo-Saxon king) was crowned in the abbey in 1066. The first documented ceremony was the coronation of William the Conqueror (the organizer and leader of the Norman conquest of England) in the same year 1066.

The church, built by Edward the Confessor, was not inferior in size to the one that exists today, but, unfortunately, almost nothing has survived from it, like from other buildings of the abbey of the 11th century. What the building looked like in the time of Edward the Confessor can only be judged by the only surviving image on the famous Bayeux tapestry. Only minor fragments of buildings from the 11th century have survived to this day: Chamber Peaks, the lower floor of the monastic cells and Norman Undercroft (a large crypt-tomb).

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Rebuilding the abbey in the 13th - 16th centuries

Construction of the current abbey church (i.e., "St. Peter's Collegiate Church at Westminster") began in 1245 under Henry III, who personally chose Westminster Abbey as his tomb. According to the king's plan, the temple was to become a place for the solemn ceremony of the coronation and burial of the English kings - the sacred center of royal power, like the Reims Cathedral in France.

The reconstruction of the abbey continued intermittently for more than 250 years (from 1245 to 1517). At the first stage, the architects were the English masters Henry of Essex (known in the chronicles as "Henry of the Rhine, the king's stonemason") and John of Gloucester. The fact that in its architecture Westminster Abbey is much closer to French cathedrals than to English Gothic is probably due to the fact that the creators drew inspiration from the heyday of the Gothic art of northern France in general and from the magnificent cathedrals of Amiens, Reims and Paris (Notre Dame de Paris) in particular.

The abbey was completed by the architects Robert Beverley and Henry Yevel during the reign of King Richard II (1377-1399), but minor refurbishment continued thereafter. In 1503, Henry VII added to the abbey church a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary, known today as the Henry VII Chapel.

By the beginning of the 16th century, due to its proximity to the monarchs, Westminster Abbey became one of the richest cloisters of that time. For example, in 1535 he had an annual income of £2,800, which today is equivalent to £1.5 million. Only the abbey at Glastonbury was richer.

Westminster Abbey during the Reformation

During the Reformation (second quarter of the 16th century), the abbey, which was a Catholic monastery, was abolished, the monks were expelled, and the church itself fell into decay. Many artistic treasures were destroyed or plundered, magnificent colored stained-glass windows, an invariable decoration of medieval Gothic temples, were broken.

In 1540, King Henry VIII, who became the head of the Anglican Church as a result of the Reformation, issued a special charter, which granted Westminster Abbey the status of a cathedral. This was done to protect the historical landmark from the final looting and destruction. However, in this status the abbey lasted only 10 years.

The Benedictine monks again received the abbey briefly during the reign of Queen Mary I the Catholic, but were expelled, this time permanently, in 1559, when Elizabeth I ascended the throne. In 1579 she proclaimed Westminster Abbey "royal property", then is, directly controlled by the monarch.

During the English Civil War (1640s), the abbey suffered from attacks by iconoclast Puritans. In 1658, the church hosted a lavish funeral for Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell, but after the restoration of the monarchy, his remains were dug up and hanged posthumously for treason.

XVIII - XIX centuries

From the point of view of most modern historians, architects and art historians, the restructuring and restoration of the 18th-19th centuries spoiled rather than improved the appearance of Westminster Abbey. So, at the beginning of the 18th century, the western facade, created in the 15th century, was rebuilt. Then the unsuccessful western towers in the Gothic Revival style were added, and in the 19th century, in the era of the "restoration" enthusiasm, the northern portal was also rebuilt. These changes were already recognized by contemporaries as "barbaric".

XX - XXI century

• in 1908, a museum was opened in part of the premises of the abbey;
• since the 1990s, the nave in the church has been decorated with two icons by the Russian icon painter Sergei Fedorov;
• On September 6, 1997, the funeral ceremony for Princess Diana was held at the abbey;
• On April 29, 2011, the wedding ceremony of Prince William and Kate Middleton took place at the abbey.

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Exterior of Westminster Abbey

Martyrs of the 20th century

Above the western portal of Westminster Abbey, it was originally planned to place sculptural images of saints and monarchs, but for some reason the niches intended for them remained empty. At the end of the 20th century, the Anglican Church, which has jurisdiction over the landmark, decided to perpetuate the memory of the ten martyrs of the 20th century by installing their sculptures in these niches. The solemn ceremony of consecrating the statues of the martyrs took place on July 9, 1998.

The choice of martyrs, according to a special commission, was determined by the desire to represent the continents of the Earth and various Christian denominations as widely as possible. It is interesting that among these ten religious figures who suffered for their faith and educational activities, there is not a single Briton. Their names are (from left to right):

Maximilian Kolbe(1894-1941) - Polish Catholic Franciscan priest who voluntarily accepted death in the Auschwitz concentration camp in order to save a stranger.

Manche Masemola(1913-1928) - a girl from the South African Pedi tribe. Wanted to convert to Christianity by baptism, but was beaten to death by her relatives who adhered to traditional beliefs.

Janani Luvum(1922-1977) - Archbishop of the Church of Uganda. He spoke out against the massacres and repressions launched in the country after the establishment of the regime of the dictator Idi Amin. In 1977 he was arrested on charges of treason. In the same year he was killed under unclear circumstances.

Elizabeth Romanova(1864-1918) - Princess of Hesse-Darmstadt, wife of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, Grand Duchess of the Romanov dynasty. Honorary member of numerous spiritual societies and Orthodox educational institutions, founder of the Martha and Mary Convent in Moscow. Known for active charitable work. After the Bolsheviks came to power, she refused to leave Russia. In 1918, she was arrested by the Bolsheviks and soon executed.

Martin Luther King(1929-1968) - a Baptist pastor in the United States, known as an uncompromising fighter against discrimination, racism and segregation, the leader of a public association for the civil rights of blacks. He also actively opposed the aggressive foreign policy of the United States, in particular, against the Vietnam War. King's work in the field of democratization of society was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Killed during a demonstration.

Oscar Romero(1917-1980) - the fourth archbishop of San Salvador (the capital of the state of El Salvador). He was actively engaged in human rights activities, spoke out against torture, kidnappings and murders, which became widespread during the years of the right-wing radical regime. He was shot dead by extremists during a service in the cathedral.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer(1906-1945) - German Lutheran theologian who actively resisted Nazi attempts to control the Lutheran Church in Germany. He belonged to an anti-Nazi group that planned a plot against Hitler. He was exposed and executed in April 1945.

Esther John(1929-1960) - Pakistani nurse and teacher. She was born into a Muslim family, but under the influence of Bible study she converted to Christianity. She worked and preached Christianity in Karachi and other Pakistani cities. She was killed for her activities.

Lucian Tapiedi(1921-1942) - Anglican teacher from Papua New Guinea. Killed by locals during evacuation following the Japanese invasion of the island. Included in the "Eight Papuan Martyrs".

Wang Zhiming(1907-1973) - Chinese pastor who preached to the Miao people in Yunnan Province. For refusing to cooperate with the communist regime, he was branded as a counter-revolutionary. Arrested in 1969, at the height of the "cultural revolution". Four years later he was executed.

The interior of Westminster Abbey

The Church of Westminster Abbey, a striking example of Gothic architecture, impresses with its size, richness of architecture and interiors. Its length is 156.5 meters, the height of the central nave is 31 meters. To decorate the facades of the north and south transepts, round rose windows with beautiful stained-glass windows were used. The vaults are supported by lancet arches resting on tall narrow columns. The use of these architectural elements gives an unusual lightness and spaciousness to the interior, creates the impression of airiness and weightlessness of the building, which is enhanced by the effect of light penetrating from many huge windows. Inside, the church is literally stunning in its spaciousness, although from the outside it seems much lower and narrower. Above the main nave is a triforium - a narrow decorative gallery decorated with exquisite carvings, one of the most beautiful elements of the interior.

Poets' Corner is part of the south transept of Westminster Abbey, where prominent poets, playwrights and writers are buried. The first burial was Geoffrey Chaucer in 1556. Over time, it became a tradition in Poets' Corner to bury or put memorial plaques to individuals who have made a significant contribution to development of British literature.

Interestingly, the medieval poet Geoffrey Chaucer, who died in 1400 and was buried in the abbey, deserved such a high honor not for his works, but because of his position as Clerk of the Royal Works at the Palace of Westminster. Recognition of his poetic talent came much later. Chaucer was the first to write compositions not in Latin, but in his native language. In 1556, Nicholas Bryham erected a magnificent sarcophagus in the south transept, where Chaucer's remains were transferred. After the famous Elizabethan poet Edmund Spenser was buried next to Chaucer in 1599, a tradition arose to bury poets and writers in this part of the abbey. As an exception, several canons and deacons are buried here, as well as Thomas Parr, who, according to legend, died at the age of 152, outliving 10 English rulers.

The burial or erection of a memorial plaque in honor of someone does not always take place immediately after death. For example, Lord Byron, whose poetry was admired as much as his scandalous lifestyle was condemned, died in 1824, but it was not until 1969 that he was honored with a monument in Poets' Corner. Even William Shakespeare, who was buried at Stratford-upon-Avon in 1616, was not so honored until 1740.

Monuments have been erected to some individuals buried in the Corner here or in other parts of the abbey. Sometimes a person was buried in other places in the abbey, but a monument was erected in Poets' Corner. There were also cases when the public asked to bury the writer in the Corner, but despite this, the burial took place in other parts of the abbey. In addition, two monuments were moved from the Corner to other places on the abbey grounds due to the discovery of ancient wall paintings behind them.

The monuments located in the Poets' Corner are of different types. Sometimes they are simple plaques, sometimes more elaborate stone statues. There are also several group sculptures: a common monument to the Bronte sisters (1947), a stone slab with the names of 16 poets of the First World War (1985) and a monument to the four founders of the Royal Ballet (2009).

Since there was practically no space for new burials and monuments in Ugol, in 1994 it was decided to place a tempered glass board, on which names would be applied as needed. There is enough space on the board for 20 names. The seventh name in 2010 was Elizabeth Gaskell. In addition to all the above-mentioned writers, such famous personalities as Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, Laurence Olivier, John Keats, Walter Scott, Oscar Wilde and many others found their last refuge in Poets' Corner.

Chapel

The first chapel dedicated to King Edward the Confessor, during whose lifetime most of Westminster Abbey was erected, appeared as early as 1163, immediately after his canonization. A century later (in 1269), during the massive rebuilding of Henry III, the chapel was rebuilt, and the body of the holy king was reburied with great honors.

Sarcophagus

The central element of the chapel is the famous sarcophagus with relics Edward, created in the Romanesque style by Italian masters under the guidance of Peter the Roman. Initially, it consisted of three parts - a stone base, a golden shrine with the king's body, and a wooden canopy. The sarcophagus was decorated with golden images of knights and saints. During the years of the Reformation, it was dismantled and hidden by the monks, but the golden shrine was stolen. Under Queen Mary I the Bloody, when Catholicism again briefly became the state religion, the sarcophagus was rebuilt, but the marble base was assembled carelessly. In the absence of the coffin, the coffin was placed on a stone base - in this position it is placed today. The wooden canopy was restored and repainted. The chapel also houses the graves of Kings Henry III, Richard II, Edward I, Edward III and their spouses.

Important historical sights of the chapel are the 13th-century Cosmatesco-style floor mosaics and the stone gates, presumably of the 15th century (separating the chapel from the altar), which are decorated with carvings depicting scenes from the life of King Edward the Confessor.

Since the 13th century, the cult of worship of the Virgin Mary has been spreading in Europe. England was no exception - Henry III built a chapel dedicated to Our Lady. At the beginning of the 16th century, Henry VII rebuilt it, making it his tomb. Even during the life of Henry VII, a huge sum of 14,000 pounds was spent on the Chapel, but according to the will of the monarch, if necessary, expenses could be increased. As a result, they reached 20,000, which in today's money is about 11-12 million pounds.

The main attraction of the chapel is its famous fan ceiling with suspensions. At the same time, hanging suspensions are not only a decorative element, but also help to create the necessary compression to maintain the cone-shaped niches of the vault. Thanks to the use of such a complex structure for its time, the architects managed to achieve an extraordinary visual lightness of the structure - it seems that the openwork vaults, supported by narrow arches, are floating in the air.

Other decorative details of the chapel are also exceptionally refined and beautiful. The triforium is decorated with numerous statues of saints and apostles. On the tomb of Henry VII and his wife Elizabeth of York there are sculptures of the royal couple, made by the Italian sculptor Pietro Torrigiano in 1518. The chapel's altar of terracotta, white marble and gilded bronze was a true masterpiece, but was destroyed during the Stuart Restoration. Today the altar has been restored and is an exact copy.

In addition to the tomb of Henry VII and his wife, the chapel contains the burial places of Edward VI, James I, Mary I, Charles VII, as well as rival queens Elizabeth Tudor and Mary Stuart the Bloody. Ironically, being irreconcilable enemies during their lifetime, Elizabeth and Mary were buried in the same grave. Also Lord Protector of England Oliver Cromwell was buried here for a short period of time; then his body was removed, hung and quartered.

In 1725, by royal decree, the chapel was placed at the disposal of the Most Venerable Order of the Bath, a knightly order founded by King George I. Its name comes from an ancient rite when applicants were subjected to a nightly wakefulness with fasting, prayer and bathing on the eve of receiving a knighthood. Benches for the knights of the order were installed in the chapel, but already in the 19th century there were too many initiates, and today only the most respected of them are awarded personal seats. A banner of a knight along with the family coat of arms is hung over each personal place. By tradition, the banner remains in the chapel even after the death of the knight. The banners of the chapter of the order are also kept here.

Chapter House (Chapter house), or Chapter Hall, was built simultaneously with the eastern part of the abbey in the middle of the XIII century during the reign of Henry III and rebuilt in 1872 by Sir George Gilbert Scott. The Chapter House is an octagonal Geometric Gothic building of exceptional architectural integrity. Six huge windows were once decorated with beautiful stained-glass windows. Unfortunately, they were all destroyed during the Reformation (Tuesday-Thursday of the 16th century), but the paved floor of the middle of the 13th century is still preserved. The vestibule door dates from the middle of the 11th century and is believed to be the oldest in England.

In the 13th century, Chapter House was the site of the daily meetings of the Benedictine monks, and later the Grand Royal Council and the House of Commons (the predecessor of the English parliament) met in it. From 1547 to 1865, the state archive was located here. Under Chapter House is an octagonal crypt.

Peaks Chamber

Peaks Chamber

The oldest part of the abbey that still exists is the Pyx Chamber Chapel, built in 1065. It was a crypt under the monastic cells, and for many centuries served as a treasury, first monastic, and then royal. The name "Pix" comes from special wooden boxes where new minted gold and silver coins were put. Then the boxes were handed over to an authorized jury, which was engaged in checking the coins for compliance with royal standards (the whole process was called the Trial of Pyx). There were also special scales for weighing precious metals, one of the most accurate in the world.

Right near the western entrance to the church, in the center of the nave, is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - the burial place of an unidentified British soldier who died during the First World War. He was buried in the abbey on November 11, 1920, the second anniversary of the end of the war, in memory of the hundreds of thousands of British soldiers who fell on the battlefield. Of all the tombstones that can be seen in the abbey, only the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is forbidden to step on.

abbey museum

The Abbey Museum is located in a vaulted crypt under the former monastic dormitory. These premises date back to the 11th century and are one of the oldest buildings of the abbey, the same age as the church built by Edward the Confessor. The museum was opened to the public in 1908. Royal tombstones are exhibited here (in particular, tombstones of Edward III, Henry VII and his wife, Elizabeth of York, Charles II, William III, Mary II and Queen Anne), funeral decorations (saddle, helmet and shield of Henry V), medieval glass panels, fragments sculptures of the XII century, the coronation throne, copies of the coronation regalia of Mary II and many other historically valuable things and objects. During the restoration of the gravestone of Elizabeth I, a unique corset dated 1603 was discovered. Today it is exhibited separately. The latest addition to the museum's collection is a late 13th-century altarpiece, the oldest surviving in England.

Coronations in the abbey

Since the coronation of Harold and William the Conqueror in 1066, Westminster Abbey has been the venue for the coronations of English, and later British, monarchs. The only deviation from this rule occurred in 1219, when the already mentioned King Henry III, assuming the throne, was crowned in the Cathedral of Gloucester due to the fact that London was occupied by the enemy troops of the French Prince Louis. However, the Pope did not recognize this coronation as legal, and as soon as London was liberated, Henry was crowned again - this time in Westminster Abbey. A total of 38 coronations took place here.

The coronation ceremony is traditionally conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the Church of England. A throne is used for the ceremony, called , which is interesting in that it contains a historical relic of great importance, known as The stone of Destiny, or the Skunk stone. The relic is a rectangular block of sandstone weighing 152 kilograms. According to legend, Kenneth I, one of the first Scottish kings, was crowned standing on this stone. All his successors were also crowned on the stone, which thus became the symbol of Scottish independence.

King Edward I of England, having conquered Scotland, captured the stone in 1296 and brought it to London. He ordered that the relic be placed under the seat of the wooden throne (King Edward's Chair), on which English monarchs were crowned, to symbolically secure the supremacy of England over Scotland. Beginning in 1308, all monarchs were crowned on the renewed throne. Only once did the throne leave the walls of Westminster Abbey - in 1653 it was transferred to Westminster Hall for the ceremony of proclaiming Oliver Cromwell Lord Protector. As for the Skoon Stone, it was kept in the abbey from 1301 to 1996, except for a short period in 1950, when it was briefly stolen by Scottish nationalists. Today, the relic is kept in Edinburgh Castle in Scotland, but for future coronations of British monarchs, the stone will certainly be delivered to the abbey to take its traditional place under the seat of King Edward's Chair.

Burials in the abbey

In the XII-XVIII centuries, Westminster Abbey also served as the burial place of English and British monarchs. Edward the Confessor was the first of the kings to find eternal rest within the walls of the abbey church. In the XII century, he was canonized, and his relics were enclosed in a shrine decorated with gold and precious stones and became an object of worship and pilgrimage for English believers. Most of the monarchs who died before 1760 are buried in the abbey, with the exception of Edward IV, Henry VIII and Charles I, who rest in the Chapel of St. George of Windsor Castle. After 1760, most monarchs and members of their families began to be buried either in the Chapel of St. George, or in the residence of Frogmore House (1 km west of Windsor Castle).

There is no greater honor for an Englishman than to be buried in Westminster Abbey. In the Middle Ages, this honor could simply be bought by making a generous donation, so there are many graves of rich people who have not left any trace in history. However, over time, the abbey became the last refuge for many truly outstanding national figures. This tradition was founded by Oliver Cromwell, at the insistence of which, in 1657, Admiral Robert Blake was buried here. Over time, generals, politicians, doctors and scientists began to be buried in the necropolis of Westminster Abbey: for example, such famous scientists as John Herschel, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Ernest Rutherford are buried here. In the early 20th century, the practice of burying cremated remains rather than coffins became common, and since 1936 no one has been buried in a coffin within the walls of the abbey. The only exceptions are members of the Percy family, who own the Northumberland Crypt on the abbey grounds.

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