Westminster Abbey

The history of Westminster Abbey started with a place known as "Thorney Island." The place where Westminster now stands was known as Thorney Island because it was a small, marshy area next to the Thames (Trowles 1). Twelve monks were gathered together here under the Bishop of London in 960 AD. These monks received land from King Edgar; this is the beginning of the connection between the Abbey and the royalty. Then when King Edward was in power, he built his new palace on Thorney Island and built a stone church for the small monastic community who worshiped there (Trowles 1). Because of Edward’s pious nature, he was canonized by the Pope nearly a century after his death. Westminster, where he was buried, became a place of pilgrimage after his canonization as St Edward the Confessor.

Westminster Abbey, as it can be seen today, was largely the work of Henry III, because he wanted to build a new shrine to St Edward the Confessor. Work began in 1245 and continued until 1269 (Clifton-Taylor 121). This new Abbey was done in a French Gothic style; it was a magnificent building to house the new shrine to St Edward. In reality, the English style of building was combined with the French to create the Abbey that is now standing. The flying buttresses and the rose windows are characteristic of the French style. The English style can be seen in the projecting transepts and the long nave, which stands as the highest in England at 102 feet (Leapman 92).

When Henry VIII came to power, Westminster Abbey felt the effects of his decision to split from Rome. Previous to the Reformation, Westminster had been a monastery where monks and nuns worshipped and committed their lives to God. However, Henry dissolved the monasteries that existed in England, including the one at Westminster (Trowles 5). Although the monastery was gone after the Reformation, a “collegiate church” was established at the Abbey when Elizabeth I became Queen. This is when the Abbey received its official name, The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster. This church was governed by clergyman, known as the Dean and Chapter, whose main occupation was to worship God (Trowles 5). Even though the monks had been removed from Westminster, these clergymen were also devoted Christians, who were in charge of taking care of the Abbey.

Westminster Abbey was designed not only as a magnificent church for religious services, but it was also to be closely connected to the Crown. Every monarch since William the Conqueror has been crowned at Westminster Abbey. In 1953, the coronation of the current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, was the first coronation to be televised (Leapman 92). Westminster Abbey is not only a place where royalty begins their reign over England, but for many of the monarchs, it is where they finish their rule as well. Many of the past rulers of this country have been buried at Westminster, which makes Westminster a truly unique place.

When I visited Westminster Abbey, I was amazed at the grandeur of the architecture. I especially was impressed with the rose windows, the high ceilings of the nave, and the flying buttresses. Another thing that I enjoyed at Westminster Abbey was how much history was there; I was amazed with how many famous people are buried there. I also thought it was interesting how the royalty were connected to each other through the generations. The English king Edward the Confessor impacted Henry III’s life in a way that made him want to rebuild an entire Abbey just to create a shrine to him. I also thought it was interesting how the Abbey represented the idea that all the people buried here, famous or otherwise, were united in death no matter what their opinions had been during life. This message was especially relevant at the grave of Mary I and Elizabeth I. They had been extreme opposites in life, not even able to understand the other, and yet in death they shared the same fate and are buried next to each other at Westminster. One of my favorite parts of visiting Westminster Abbey was how the history of the rulers combined with religion to show how the church and state have been intertwined throughout the history of England.

Works Cited

Clifton-Taylor, Alec. The Cathedrals of England. London: Thames and Hudson, Ltd. 1986.

Leapman, Michael. Great Britain. London: Dorling Kindersley Ltd. 1995.

Trowles, Tony. Westminster Abbey. London: Scala Publishers. 2006.