Westminster Abbey

     Considering the irrefutable intentions of Edward the Confessor to construct a monastery mimicking the likeness of those he observed whilst in exile, Westminster Abbey is largely recognized as an establishment committed to religious devotion and study. Despite Henry VIII’s reformation and other subsequent turmoil concerning the ambivalence associated with London’s religious affiliations throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Westminster Abbey survives and remains a place of worship to this day; however, contrary to any assumptions associating Westminster Abbey as an exclusively religious institution, the political symbolism promoted by the various monarchs, imbues the abbey with an additional function: a physical manifestation of the King/Queen’s divine power and influence.

    Although religious services are still conducted inside the Cathedral, Westminster Abbey also functions as a ceremonial institution. Following the Norman invasion and the Battle of Hastings, Edward’s monastery became the setting for royal coronations. William the Conquer was crowned Christmas day 1066 inside the abbey and since that day, the precedent has dictated that all of London’s coronations (with the exception of Edward V and Edward VIII) be conducted within Westminster. From a political perspective, the coronation ceremonies would have greatly validated the crowned monarch’s authority and synonymously associate themselves with God’s divine blessings and authority.Westminster Abbey

Situated inside the abbey, is the coronation chair commissioned by Edward I to enclose the Stone of Scone that was stolen during an earlier invasion of Scotland in 1296. Our tour guide David, who was excellent and enormously informative, revealed that the chair constitutes a symbolic representation of England’s power. According to him, whenever a king or queen sits in the coronation chair, they are essentially sitting on all of Scotland.

     The original architecture of Edward’s monastic abbey remained un-compromised for two centuries up until Henry III, often referred to as The Builder King, rebuilt the abbey and ordered renovations to incorporate Gothic and Romanesque architecture. The end result maintained some facets of Edward’s original monastery, but the transformation yielded a building that was no longer a modest abbey but a regal cathedral worthy of accommodating the various ceremonies accustomed to England’s monarchy. More additions to Westminster Abbey were eventually constructed including, the Lady Chapel commissioned by Henry VII in 1516.Westminster Abbey The expansions conducted  by Henry III and Henry VII encouraged future monarchs to reflect their own religious and political fluency by commissioning additional expansions and renovations that encourage a seamless synthesis of varying styles and architecture that exemplify the royal prerogative and autonomy. Most noticeable, is the classicism promoted by Elizabeth I during the Renaissance. When one considers the humble origins of Westminster Abbey, it becomes easier to insinuate and examine the potential parallels existing between the rapid pace in which additions to the cathedral were constructed, and the increase in the relatively absolute powers possessed by England’s monarchs throughout the abbey’s tumultuous history. The various ceremonies including coronations, weddings, and funerals, do not necessarily compromise the religious iconography represented by Westminster Abbey but rather serves as a medium in which a tangible portrayal of the monarch's political status can be exemplified.