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Westminster Abbey: A Gothic Royal Church

Westminster Abbey is a large Gothic abbey church located in London, England. It has historically served as the traditional place of coronation and burial for British monarchs since 1066. While originally a Benedictine monastery until the 16th century, it is now overseen by the Church of England. The current church was constructed beginning in 1245 by order of King Henry III. With over 3,300 prominent burials on site, including 16 monarchs and 8 prime ministers, Westminster Abbey has become known as "Britain's Valhalla."

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111 views1 page

Westminster Abbey: A Gothic Royal Church

Westminster Abbey is a large Gothic abbey church located in London, England. It has historically served as the traditional place of coronation and burial for British monarchs since 1066. While originally a Benedictine monastery until the 16th century, it is now overseen by the Church of England. The current church was constructed beginning in 1245 by order of King Henry III. With over 3,300 prominent burials on site, including 16 monarchs and 8 prime ministers, Westminster Abbey has become known as "Britain's Valhalla."

Uploaded by

Ezio Auditore da Firenze
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is a

large, mainly Gothic abbey church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of
the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United Kingdom's most notable religious buildings and the
traditional place of coronation and burial site for English and, later, British monarchs. The building
itself was a Benedictine monastic church until the monastery was dissolved in 1539. Between 1540
and 1556, the abbey had the status of a cathedral. Since 1560, the building is no longer an abbey or
a cathedral, having instead the status of a Church of England "Royal Peculiar"—a church
responsible directly to the sovereign.
According to a tradition first reported by Sulcard in about 1080, a church was founded at the site
(then known as Thorn Ey (Thorn Island)) in the seventh century, at the time of Mellitus, a Bishop of
London. Construction of the present church began in 1245, on the orders of King Henry III.[4]
Since the coronation of William the Conqueror in 1066, all coronations of English and British
monarchs have been in Westminster Abbey.[4][5] There have been 16 royal weddings at the abbey
since 1100.[6] As the burial site of more than 3,300 persons, usually of prominence in British history
(including at least sixteen monarchs, eight Prime Ministers, poets laureate, actors, scientists, military
leaders, and the Unknown Warrior), Westminster Abbey is sometimes described as
'Britain's Valhalla', after the iconic hall of the chosen heroes in Norse mythology.[7]

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