Westminster Abbey

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Westminster Abbey

• By Winston McGregor III

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History

• Served as a place of worship for over a thousand
  years.
• Westminster Abbeys official name is The
  Collegiate Church of St Peter.
• Westminster is known among churches as a Royal
  Peculiar. This means it is under the
  jurisdiction of the crown and not within any
  diocese.

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History (cont.)

• Important privilege to be under the jurisdiction
  under the crown.
• This gave the Abbey full control over its
  finances and day to day operations.
• Soon grew to be one of the wealthiest religious
  houses in the country.
• Abbey was gaining more and more importance over
  the years in the affairs of the crown. In fact,
  the royal treasury was held until at least the
  15th century (in the Chapel of the Pyx), guarded
  securely by six locks and a huge door, which
  still stand today.

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History

• It has been the setting for every Coronation
  since 1066 (with the exception of Edward V and
  Edward VIII).
• Among the most famous ceremonies that occurred in
  the Norman Abbey were the coronation of William
  the Conqueror on Christmas day, 1066 and the
  canonization of Edward the Confessor in 1161.

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History (cont.)

• Also a burial place of kings, statesmen,
  warriors, scientists, musicians and poets
• Over three thousand people are either buried or
  memorialized in Westminster Abbey.
• Notable among these is the Unknown Warrior, whose
  grave has recently become a place of pilgrimage. 

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Christian Martyrs Statues

• Maximilian Kolbe
• Manche Masemola
• Janani Luwum
• Elizabeth of Russia
• Martin Luther King
• Oscar Romero
• Dietrich Bonhoeffer
• Esther John
• Lucian Tapiedi
• Wang Zhiming

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How Big is the Abbey?

• Floor area 32,000 square feet
• Height of West Towers 225 feet 4 inches
• Length of Henry VII chapel l03 feet 9 inches
• Height of Henry VII chapel 60 feet 7 inches
• Width of whole chapel 70 feet l inch
• Seating capacity at normal Services about 2,000

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Religious Relics Still in the Abbey

• The bones of St Edward the Confessor still lie in
  his Shrine behind the High Altar but the relics
  of other saints and religious artifacts
  disappeared at the dissolution of the monastery
  in l540.

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Who Can Be Buried There Now?

• Dr. Wesley Carr (Dean of Westminster) must give
  his permission for all burials and monuments in
  the Church.
• People who have served the Abbey in an official
  capacity can also be buried here.

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Interesting Fact

• From 1245, when his work on the abbey started,
  until his death in 1272, Henry III spent over
  40.000 on the rebuilding of the Abbey
  (equivalent to that of the state's annual income
  for two full years during his reign!!).

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Resources and Additional Links

• http//www.westminster-abbey.org/
• http//www.castles-abbeys.co.uk/Westminster-Abbey.
  html