A Cathedral and an Abbey
In our second week here, I saw Westminster Abbey from a distance, but two weeks ago I got to finally go inside. The day before we had had the opportunity to go to Canterbury Cathedral. At one point, the cathedral had been one of the great pilgrimage points for Christianity and has been rebuilt three times. Founded in 597, it has not always been the centre of the Church of England. Before it was a Catholic worship site, that is until England split from the Catholic Church under the reign of Henry VIII. It has been the centre of great pride, as well as great tragedy. My favourite gruesome bit of history happened there when Thomas Becket, who was the archbishop at the time was struck down by knights of Henry II. Henry and Becket didn't see eye to eye, and in frustration, the King yelled: "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?" Some of his faithful knights took this literally and, unfortunately, struck Beckett down in the middle of the Cathedral. This made Canterbury even more of a pilgrimage site, as many came to worship at the site where their dear Archbishop was martyred. Actually, at the far end of Cathedral, you can see a dent in the stone where thousands have kneeled in prayer for Becket. After the separation of England from Rome, Canterbury became the centre of the Church of England. I learned that there are two "heads" of the church so to speak, the spiritual and the state. The spiritual is the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the state is the reigning monarch.
Canterbury was not as grand as I had imagined. I guess I was expecting more like Notre Dame in Paris which is absolutely huge. In comparison, Canterbury is rather small, but when looking at the history of it, it is truly a site to see. It's also a UNESCO world heritage site.
Westminster Abbey is more on par with what one might expect when it comes to great shrines of worship. The gothic architecture stands out next to the Palace of Westminster (Parliament) and the more roman looking buildings in the surrounding square. When we arrived at the Abbey we could barely hear one another because the bells were welcoming in a new London mayor. The whole building is very spread out, with residences and a school in a back and many chapels inside the main hall with shrines and stone tombs. I found the building to be very crowded, not just with people but with tombs and shrines. It almost feels as if every space that could be filled has been, and trying to get in between visitors and ancient pieces of marbles is nearly impossible. Though, some of the most interesting tombs are Mary Queen of Scots, Geoffrey Chaucer, and the Tomb of the Uknown Warrior. My favourite section of the Abbey was Poets corner. I had an English professor in high school who told me about this wonderful corner, where Charles Dickens, Chaucer, George Frideric Handel, and Alfred Tennyson are buried. Shakspeare, the Bronte sisters, and Jane Austen all have memorials there. I sat in solemn awe over the memory of so many great minds.
Westminster Abbey has been the place of the English/British monarch's coronation since the Norman invasion in 1066, save for a few, most notably that of a young Queen Elizbeth the Second which was televised for all to see. It has also been the place of many royal weddings, most recently that of Prince William to Kate Middleton, as well as Prince Charles to Diana Spencer, and Queen Elizabeth the Second to Phillip Mountbatten.
These two religious sites show a different part of the British Identity that I am learning about, and that is the connection to the church. One is right in the country centre, and the other is where the country centre used to be. Both have withstood many different religious changes, most notably the Reformation and many decades of back and forth between Catholicism and Anglican power. The great halls of worship continue to be a beacon to those who practice, as well as British identity. Westminster Abbey specifically holds great symbolic power as the centre of the monarchy's claim to the throne. I wonder what it would be like if only Canterbury was used for marriages, deaths, and coronations of the monarchs instead of Westminster?
Canterbury was not as grand as I had imagined. I guess I was expecting more like Notre Dame in Paris which is absolutely huge. In comparison, Canterbury is rather small, but when looking at the history of it, it is truly a site to see. It's also a UNESCO world heritage site.
Westminster Abbey is more on par with what one might expect when it comes to great shrines of worship. The gothic architecture stands out next to the Palace of Westminster (Parliament) and the more roman looking buildings in the surrounding square. When we arrived at the Abbey we could barely hear one another because the bells were welcoming in a new London mayor. The whole building is very spread out, with residences and a school in a back and many chapels inside the main hall with shrines and stone tombs. I found the building to be very crowded, not just with people but with tombs and shrines. It almost feels as if every space that could be filled has been, and trying to get in between visitors and ancient pieces of marbles is nearly impossible. Though, some of the most interesting tombs are Mary Queen of Scots, Geoffrey Chaucer, and the Tomb of the Uknown Warrior. My favourite section of the Abbey was Poets corner. I had an English professor in high school who told me about this wonderful corner, where Charles Dickens, Chaucer, George Frideric Handel, and Alfred Tennyson are buried. Shakspeare, the Bronte sisters, and Jane Austen all have memorials there. I sat in solemn awe over the memory of so many great minds.
Westminster Abbey has been the place of the English/British monarch's coronation since the Norman invasion in 1066, save for a few, most notably that of a young Queen Elizbeth the Second which was televised for all to see. It has also been the place of many royal weddings, most recently that of Prince William to Kate Middleton, as well as Prince Charles to Diana Spencer, and Queen Elizabeth the Second to Phillip Mountbatten.
These two religious sites show a different part of the British Identity that I am learning about, and that is the connection to the church. One is right in the country centre, and the other is where the country centre used to be. Both have withstood many different religious changes, most notably the Reformation and many decades of back and forth between Catholicism and Anglican power. The great halls of worship continue to be a beacon to those who practice, as well as British identity. Westminster Abbey specifically holds great symbolic power as the centre of the monarchy's claim to the throne. I wonder what it would be like if only Canterbury was used for marriages, deaths, and coronations of the monarchs instead of Westminster?
Canterbury Cathedral above, Westminster Abbey below
Comments
Post a Comment