|
Kids Home
London
Royalty
Romans
Early
Kingdoms
Berkshire
Teacher's Page
Mail David
|
|
Where Kings are Crowned &
Buried
- Legend says that
Westminster Abbey was founded in early 7th century by St. Melitus
& King Sebert of Essex. It later became a
Benedictine monastery.
- It was rebuilt by King
Edward the Confessor in a never-before-seen Norman style. He
moved the Royal palace next door. He died 8 days after it was
finished in 1066. This is shown on the Bayeux Tapestry.
- All the monarchs
of England have been crowned there ever since.
- King Edward was canonised
(made a saint) in 1139. He was the patron saint of England &
his shrine was very popular.
- King Henry
III started rebuilding the abbey in Gothic style in 1220. It
was to become the poshest church in the country. Its nave is 31m
high, much higher than any other English church. The King was
buried there & his successors were too until 1760.
- The kings kept their
treasure at the Abbey. It was robbed by the Keeper of the Palace
in 1303 & he was executed. In 1413 King Henry
IV died in the Jerusalem Chamber at the Abbey.
- During the War of the
Roses, Queen Elizabeth Woodville claimed sanctuary in the Abbey.
- King Henry VII added the
'Henry VII Chapel' at the end from 1503. He wanted to make his
uncle, Henry
VI, a saint and have his shrine there. The Pope wanted too
much money to canonise him though. So Henry VII was buried there
instead.
- All the building work at
the Abbey was finished in 1532. It had been going on for over
300 years! 8 years later, Henry VIII had the monastery
dissolved. Like other monastic churches, it might easily have
been pulled down.
- Luckily, it survived the Dissolution because it
was next to the Palace of Westminster & was very important
to the monarchy. It even kept all its magnificent sculptures of
saints & the Shrine of St. Edward.
- For a short time, it was
made a cathedral, but now it is a Collegiate
Church.
- Oliver Cromwell's army
camped in the church during the Civil War!
- In 1698, Sir
Christopher Wren added two big towers to the west front. These
were finished by Nicholas Hawksmoor in 1723.
- In the 18th century the
abbey church was filled with monuments to lots of famous people.
'Poet's corner' is still the burial place of famous writers.
- Today, Royal weddings
usually take place at the abbey, like that of the Duke &
Duchess of Cambridge.
|
|
