Excerpt: ...the unsettled state of the kingdom made it impossible to keep this vow, and he was absolved from it by the Pope on the condition that he should found or re-endow a monastic church Pg 46 dedicated to St. Peter. This, therefore, was the origin of the great West Minster, and in afterdays the tomb of St. Edward the Confessor within its walls attracted pilgrims here, and made the building a peculiarly sacred one. Here the Sovereigns of England were always crowned, often married, and until the time of George III. ...
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Excerpt: ...the unsettled state of the kingdom made it impossible to keep this vow, and he was absolved from it by the Pope on the condition that he should found or re-endow a monastic church Pg 46 dedicated to St. Peter. This, therefore, was the origin of the great West Minster, and in afterdays the tomb of St. Edward the Confessor within its walls attracted pilgrims here, and made the building a peculiarly sacred one. Here the Sovereigns of England were always crowned, often married, and until the time of George III. usually buried. The earliest coronation of which there is historic certainty was that of Edward's friend and former protector, the Conqueror, William I. As the last Saxon King of the race of Ethelred was the first Sovereign who was buried at Westminster, so the head of the Norman line of English Kings was the first who was hallowed to the service of God and of his people on this historic spot. No trace is left of Edward's Norman monastery, save the foundations of some of the pillars and a round arch in the cloisters; but we know that his church was nearly on the same place as the present Abbey, and that the old Norman nave stood for many hundred years joined on to the choir and transepts of the new Early English building, and was pulled down bit by bit as the later church grew. For the beautiful Abbey which we see before us now, in the heart of a busy thoroughfare, is the work, not of one generation, but of five hundred years. The central part was built in the thirteenth century. The Confessor had been canonized by the Pope in 1163, and a century Pg 47 later Henry III., who was a fervent admirer of the saint, caused a splendid shrine to be made by Italian workmen, which was to replace the old one of Henry II.'s time. The new style of pointed architecture was just coming in, and the Abbot of Westminster, Humez, had added a Lady Chapel to the old Norman church when Henry III. was a boy. As the King grew to manhood he saw the contrast between the...
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Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
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PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
