Westminster Abbey

The Cathedral Church of St. Peter is steeped in over a thousand years of history. According to legend, the first church at this site was built in the 7th century after a local fisherman had a vision of the Apostle Peter. At that time, Essex was ruled by King Sebert - the first Christian monarch. Westminster Abbey is first mentioned in written sources in 960 when Saint Dunstan established a community of Benedictine monks at the church. Edward the Confessor — the creator of Westminster Abbey.

The church flourished during the reign of Edward the Confessor (1042 - 1066). At his command, the old church building was rebuilt into a magnificent structure, and the monk community was granted the status of a monastery. The new church in the name of the Apostle Peter was consecrated 7 days before the monarch's death. King Edward in 1066 became the first king buried in Westminster Abbey. The only remains of Edward's monastery today are the semi-circular arches and large supporting columns of the monastic cells.

In 1245, King Henry III decided to rebuild the abbey in the new architectural style of Gothic. According to Henry III's decree, Westminster Abbey was intended not only as a great monastery and a place for prayers but also as a site for coronations and funerary rites of monarchs. This church was consecrated in October 1269, though construction continued until 1745. The abbey's first architects were Englishmen: Henry of Essex and John of Gloucester, and in the final stage - Robert of Beverley and Henry Yevele.

In the 16th century, Henry VII added to the construction of Westminster Abbey by adding the Chapel of Our Lady, and in 1725 it became the home for the Order of the Bath. Henry VIII in 1539 turned the abbey into a cathedral and established the Westminster diocese, which was later dissolved, and the abbey became a church under the monarch. The western towers were built in 1722—1745, and in the 19th century, the abbey was restored by George Gilbert Scott. During World War II, the abbey was heavily damaged but was restored after the war.

On September 19, 2022, a funeral service for Queen Elizabeth II was held in the abbey.

The main church building is cross-shaped, specifically, a church with a transept. The greatest length, from the great west door to the end of the Chapel of Our Lady, is 161.5 meters, the greatest height of the Western towers is 68 meters. The total area of the space is about 3000 m², it can accommodate up to 2000 people.

The building's facades are decorated with rose windows with multicolored stained glass. And narrow columns, delicate western towers, pointed arches, and other architectural elements make the building's appearance very airy and weightless.

The main entrance to the church is considered the Great North Door, through which visitors enter the north transept. From there, turning left, they find themselves in the eastern part of the church, the ambulatory, where several chapels are located, the largest of which is Henry VII's Chapel of Our Lady. Much of the southern transept is occupied by Poets' Corner; also, there is a large round rose window, designed by Sir James Thornhill, depicting eleven apostles.

The church building plan is divided into 5 parts:

Henry VII's Chapel. In the 13th century, devotion to the Virgin Mary was popular in Europe, for which Henry III erected a chapel dedicated to Our Lady. And already in the 16th century, Henry VII made it his mausoleum. It is remarkable for an unusual visual effect, thanks to which the entire structure literally floats in the air.

Edward the Confessor's Chapel. It is from his reign that the construction of the architectural complex is associated. Therefore, the central part of the chapel became the sarcophagus with the relics of the monarch, skillfully decorated with decorative elements.

Poets' Corner. Perhaps, this is one of the most famous parts of the abbey, located on the south side. The first poetry figure, Geoffrey Chaucer, was buried here in 1556. It was his grave that began the tradition of burying poets and writers in the cathedral, a list that continues to grow each year.

Chapter House. An ancient room, distinguished by an unusual architectural design. Firstly, it has 8 corners. Secondly, the door to the Chapter House is considered one of the oldest in England, preserved in its original form.

The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. This location contains the burial of a soldier who died during World War I. Although the British government was unable to identify his body, today the grave has become a kind of symbol of how much the British honor the memory of soldiers who lost their lives in the war. Interestingly, among all the tombstones, visitors are strictly forbidden to step on this burial.

The building plan also includes an inner courtyard of the abbey. It is framed by four covered cloisters (cloisters) with windows leading to the courtyard. They were presumably built in the 13th–14th centuries. Until 1560, it was a favorite place of monks.

Moreover, each cloister served a specific purpose. In the west — they taught the newly converted, in the north stood cabinets and tables, the southern cloister led to the dining room, and the eastern — to the Chapter House. There is also another — the Little Cloister. However, it is not located in the abbey's inner courtyard, but in the place of the former hospital.

College Garden is a garden located near the abbey. It will soon celebrate its millennium anniversary. Originally, herbs, vegetables, and fruits were grown in the garden. The oldest trees, plane trees, have been growing in the garden since 1849. Also in the garden, you can see statues of saints, a "Crucifixion" sculpture, and a fountain.

Since the enthronement of William the Conqueror (1066), the coronation of English monarchs took place in Westminster Abbey. In the church, you can still see the ancient coronation throne.

Throughout its history, 16 royal wedding ceremonies have been conducted in the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter. Among the most famous weddings of the 20th century were the 1923 wedding of Prince Albert (later - King George VI) and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, and the 1947 wedding of Princess Elizabeth and British naval officer Philip Mountbatten. The last royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton was held in April 2011.

In the walls of Westminster Abbey, not only were monarchs crowned, but all royal persons were buried. Over 3000 people are buried on the abbey grounds, here are about 600 monuments and wall plaques.

In the abbey are buried queens Elizabeth and Victoria, poets Geoffrey Chaucer and Robert Burns, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, politician Neville Chamberlain, Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, Martin Luther King Jr. In Poets' Corner, such world literature figures as Oscar Wilde, Robert Browning, Henry Francis, William Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser, Walter Scott, William Blake, and many others were also buried.