Westminster Abbey

Of all English abbeys, the Westminster Abbey is probably the one most well known. Located within the Royal Palace of Westminster, the abbey is overwhelmingly magnificent.

Situated on the north side of the Thames River sitting about one to two miles above the ancient city of London, you cannot help but stand in awe. The Westminster Abbey was originally called Thorney or the Isle of Thorns and while it has a long, interesting history, the exact date of its construction is unknown. However, historians believe the abbey was built sometime around 616 and was said to be miraculously, consecrated by St. Peter.

Historians are relatively sure that Westminster Abbey existed in the 8th century since there is a charter of King Ofa dated 785 whereby the name Westminster was first used.
Then in the 10th century, the abbey’s boundaries were defined. Around 960, William of Malmesbury brought with him 12 Benedictine monks to the abbey. Throughout its history, the abbey has had an important church standing with the first Saxon church and monastery being built in 1055 by Edward the Confessor. Then during Edward’s exile, he vowed that he would again take throne. However, the Pope absolved him from this vow on one condition, he would restore the abbey in honor of St. Peter.

To begin the work, the old buildings were torn down so new transepts and choir could be completed. In 1065, these new structures were consecrated but just a few days before the King died. The plan was that the monastery would be for 70 monks although history tells us that number was more realistically 50. Then in 1110, construction on the nave of the church began, which was not completed for 53 years. By the early part of the 13th century, the large eastern lady chapel was changed to a smaller, semi-circle one that would be placed just behind Edward’s high altar. The consecration for this occurred in 1220. Soon, the community placed more and more demands on the abbey, requiring even more changes to be made.

In 1245, Norman church was demolished and for the following 30 years, the eastern portion of the church, along with the nave, were completely, rebuilt. Then the St. Edward Shrine was moved to where it resides today. Unfortunately, the Westminster Abbey was inflicted with great pain when Henry died in 1272, after which a horrific fire in 1298 destroyed all the monastic buildings and in 1349, Black Death swept over the area. With this, the Abbot and 26 of his monks died. Obviously, the abbey’s resources for building operation were devastated, stopping all building for 100 years.

However, some of the smaller parts of the abbey were worked on under the guidance of Abbot Litlyngton. The progress was painstakingly slow, meaning the nave did not get finished until 1517 and the western towers not built until the 18th century. The eastern lady chapel was commenced in 1502 by Henry VII to include incredible features created by the architect, Robert Vertue. Today, this chapel contains a tomb of its founder who died in 1509.

As you visit the Westminster Abbey today, you cannot help but be impressed by all the features incorporated in the design. In addition to being an abbey, this site is also a burial place of many English sovereigns and their consorts to include Henry III, Edward I, Edward II, and others. In addition, many celebrities, political leaders, warriors, poets, and other dignitaries have been buried within the abbey. While many of the older tombs have the medieval architecture, many of the newer tombs have a completely, different appearance, one that blends beautifully with the surroundings.

The length of the Abbey is 511 feet long, the nave width is 79 feet, and the vaulted ceiling, 102 feet. The entire abbey has a mysterious feel about it although the interior, in spite of eerie monuments and tombs, is beautiful. As you can imagine, maintaining the Westminster Abbey is expensive but well worth the investment. Wonderful choirs still lend their voices to the abbey and you can walk among the grounds as well as interior portions to marvel at the massive size and stunning interiors that are all a part of its historic symbolism.


Last Updated: 10/19/2006 3:14:00 PM

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