Westminster Abbey in London: history, photos, description, interesting facts. Westminster Abbey: The Pantheon of Britain History of the construction of Westminster Abbey

If the influence of French architecture is strongly felt in the eastern part of the temple, then the long nave is typically English. During its construction, in the 14th century, Cardinal Simon Langhem, the former abbot, wanted to speed up the work, and insisted that cheaper stone be used for the supports. We should be grateful to Reverend Nicholas Lytlington, who did not succumb to persuasion and ensured that marble from Purbeck went to the supports. This gave the temple an architectural integrity - you can't tell by its appearance that it took 500 years to build.

Just like the Poets' Corner, the abbey has developed areas where people of other professions are immortalized. To the west of the organ, facing the nave, stands the monument to Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) by J. M. Rysbreck. Newton is remembered primarily for his law of gravity, but his other discoveries and inventions in mechanics, optics, and astronomy made him one of the world's greatest scientists. His interests are reflected in sculpture, which depicts optical and mathematical instruments, his books and a sphere with the signs of the zodiac and constellations. He is buried right in front of the monument.

Other prominent scientists and engineers are also buried or memorialized here: Michael Faraday (1791-1867), who studied electricity and magnetism; Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937), modeler of the atom. Nearby lies Charles Darwin (1809-92), and a medallion with his portrait is mounted on the wall under the organ in the northern part of the choir.

Nearby are portraits of other scientists, including antiseptic founder Joseph Lister (1827-1912) and Darwin's friend, botanist Sir Joseph Hooker (1817-1911). Engineers are immortalized in the nave, among them are the famous watchmakers Thomas Tompion (1638-1713), George Graham (1673-1751) and John Harrison (1693-1776), the creator of the marine chronometer, which made it possible to determine longitude in the sea. A memorial to him was unveiled in 2006.

In the center of the nave is the tomb of the famous traveler and missionary David Livingston. His heart was buried in Africa, where he died, but 11 months later, devoted servants brought his body to the abbey for burial.

At the western end, in the middle of the nave, is a large green marble memorial to Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965), the inspirational leader of the country during World War II. The monument was opened by the Queen on September 19, 1965 - 25 years after the Battle of Britain.

The most famous grave in the abbey is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Located at the western end of the nave and surrounded by a border of red poppies, it is dedicated to the memory of the fallen not only in the First World War, but in all wars. All official state visits begin with the laying of a wreath at the grave, and a memorial service is held here every year on Memorial Sunday.

The idea to bury a British warrior, whose name and rank are unknown, in Westminster among the kings and princes, was born by a young army chaplain, David Railton, in 1916, when he served on the Western Front. One evening, returning to the apartment, Railton saw a wooden grave cross with the inscription: "Unknown British soldier." Two years after the end of the war, he sent a letter to the abbot of Westminster with a proposal to bury the unknown soldier in the abbey. The abbot was enthusiastic about the idea, but King George V doubted whether such a burial would be considered belated. However, the government and the public supported this plan, and in the end it was approved.

On a warship, accompanied by six destroyers, the body of a soldier was solemnly delivered from France to Britain. On the morning of November 11, 1920, he was brought on a gun carriage to the abbey with a stop at Whitehall, where the king opened the cenotaph. The coffin was carried into the abbey through the north portal and carried along the nave, along which 100 holders of the Victoria Cross, the highest British award for valor, lined up. The flag with which the coffin was covered hangs nearby on a column. With this flag, David Railton covered temporary altars, giving communion to soldiers. On the adjacent columns there is a bell from the ship "Verdun", which delivered the body to Britain, and the Congressional Medal of Honor - an award to the soldier from the United States.

One of the most famous monuments of Gothic architecture is Westminster Abbey. It is located on the west side of the Palace of Westminster in London and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Its construction began in the 11th century, but the main construction work was carried out from the 13th - 16th centuries. From the old monastery, from which the construction of the abbey began, there remains a chapel and passages to the dormitory. It was designed in the form of a cross and its main purpose was the coronation and burial vault of the kings. In 1953, it hosted the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, the current Queen of England. For the coronation, the old coronation chair of the English monarchs is used. This chair has been kept in the abbey for six centuries, and under its seat there is a "stone of fate" - a relic of the history of England.

The grandeur and size of Westminster Abbey is simply breathtaking. Its length is 156.6 meters, and the central nave is 31 meters high as an eleven-story building. But the greatest value is its interior.

From the inside, the building seems much wider and taller than from the outside. Skillful builders made the stone light, almost airy, from which a magnificent tent spread overhead with protruding ribs and bundles of ribs blooming at a great height. And all this splendor rests on light marble tables.

The interior of Westminster Abbey, here's what this architectural masterpiece looks like inside.

One of the attractions of Westminster Abbey is the picturesque galleries of the monastery courtyard, made of light stone. Behind the western gallery is the home of the abbot, who is the head of the monastery. It was built in the 14th century and has survived to the present day. The pearl of English Gothic - the Chapter Hall, which has the shape of a polyhedron, is located in the eastern gallery.

Westminster Abbey is a huge necropolis in which the most famous people of England are buried. It contains more than 3300 graves. Here lie the ashes of Charles Dickens, Isaac Newton, William Shakespeare, Winston Churchill, Lord Byron, Princess Diana and many other prominent Englishmen.

Today Westminster Abbey is an active church. Services and liturgies are held in it, weddings of royal persons are held in the west wing, concerts of sacred and secular music are held.

Video: Great Britain. London. Westminster Abbey.

Westminster Abbey- not only the largest church in London, but also the center of the state life of the country. 38 monarchs were crowned here, starting with William the Conqueror, who became the English king on Christmas Day 1666, i.e. all monarchs except Edward V, who was killed in 1483, and Edward VIII, who abdicated in 1936. Together with the Church of St. Margaret, Westminster Abbey forms a single ensemble that is part of.

Westminster Abbey, construction history

Tradition claims that at the beginning of the 7th century (and according to most researchers, in the 8th century), on an island near the ford across the Thames, west of London, on the site where a settlement of Roman times once existed, a monastery (abbey) with a church was founded St. Paul, hence the name West Minster - "Western Monastery".

Its foundation is attributed to King Sibert (d. 616), whose tomb is still preserved within the walls of the abbey. But the first historically absolutely reliable evidence of Westminster dates back to 1065, when King Edward the Confessor richly endowed the monastery and completely rebuilt the church that existed here. He also built a royal palace next to the abbey, which until 1512 served as the residence of the English kings, and then as the seat of Parliament.

No traces of the original building of the abbey have been preserved. Built in 1065 by Edward the Confessor, the church was not inferior in size to the one that now exists in its place, but only small fragments of this ancient building, erected in the Norman style, have survived: the Pyx Chapel chapel, the adjacent part of the courtyard and Norman Undercroft - a large crypt-tomb.

In 1245, under Henry III, the buildings of Westminster Abbey were rebuilt in the Gothic style. The builders were the English architects Henry of Essex ("Henry of the Rhine, King's Mason") and John of Gloucester. They were probably well acquainted with the Gothic cathedrals of Northern France:, Reims and Notre Dame de Paris.

In its architecture, Westminster Abbey is much closer to French cathedrals than to English Gothic. King Henry III, undertaking this construction, intended to create a temple for the solemn ceremonies of the coronation of the kings of England, just as he served as the place for the coronation of the kings of France.

The reconstruction of the abbey lasted more than two hundred years. The best architects of that time took part in its construction - Robert Beverly, Henry Yevel. In 1502, Henry VII built a new magnificent chapel in the place of the central chapel in the apse - the so-called chapel of Henry VII.

In subsequent times, Westminster was more likely to be spoiled than decorated: at the beginning of the 18th century, the western facade, built in the 15th century, was rebuilt; north portal exposed. This alteration was unanimously considered barbaric by contemporaries.

During the Reformation, the monastery was abolished, and the church was badly damaged. Many of the art treasures stored in it were destroyed or stolen, the luxurious colored stained-glass windows - the main decoration of medieval Gothic temples - were broken. Under Queen Elizabeth, the church was restored, but the monastery was no longer renewed.

Westminster Abbey, Britain's Royal Pantheon

The Westminster Temple cannot but amaze with its size. Its length is 156.5 m, the height of the central nave, the highest in England, is 31 m (the height of a ten-story building).

Outwardly, the cathedral looks simply amazing - in the manner characteristic of Gothic temples, it is richly decorated with sculptures and other architectural extravagances.

For centuries, the church of Westminster Abbey has played a completely exceptional role as a house church of the English kings and a religious center of national importance.

Since the 11th century, the abbey has been the place of coronation of English kings, and in the 13th-18th centuries it was also the place of their burial. One of the first English kings to rest within the walls of the abbey was Edward the Confessor. In the XII century, he was canonized, his relics were enclosed in a precious shrine and became an object of worship.

To be buried in Westminster Abbey is considered the highest national honor in England. In the Middle Ages, this honor was often bought, and there are many tombs of not outstanding, but simply wealthy people.

But besides them, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, the "father of English literature" poet Geoffrey Chaucer, Charles Dickens, Richard Sheridan, Alfred Tennyson and many other figures of English history and culture are buried in the necropolis of Westminster Abbey.

Here, since 1920, there is a simple tombstone decorated with wreaths - the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a monument to those who fell on the battlefields of the First World War. No wonder Westminster Abbey is sometimes called Pantheon of Britain. Another famous royal one is the resting place of Danish monarchs.

Like other Gothic buildings, the facades of the north and south transepts of Westminster Cathedral are decorated with round, bizarre rose windows. The vaults rest on lancet arches supported by tall columns. These lancet arches give the interior an extraordinary lightness and spaciousness.

Inside the building is simply stunning - it seems much wider and taller than from the outside. Above the wings of the main nave stretches a carved triforium - a narrow decorative gallery, one of the best architectural elements of the abbey. The mosaic floor in the altar was made in the 13th century.

Numerous tombs of English kings and historical figures of England, nobility and clergy are crowded in the cathedral. The main sanctuary of the abbey is the chapel of Edward the Confessor. In the middle of it is the famous shrine with the relics of the holy king. It was built by Italian craftsmen in 1269 in the Romanesque style.

Once it was covered with rich mosaics, and its top board was entirely made of gold and precious stones. This board was stolen during the Reformation and has now been replaced with wood. On the north side of the chapel are the tombs of King Henry III, on the other side are the tombs of Kings Richard II and Edward III.

The chapel is separated from the altar by carved gates from the 15th century. In front of them are the shield of King Edward I and the famous throne for the coronations of English kings with a piece of simple stone embedded in it. This is the "stone of fate", one of the historical relics of England. King Edward I, the conqueror of Scotland, brought this stone from there in 1296, which was considered a symbol of Scottish independence, and set it on the throne of the English kings. Since Edward I, all English kings have been crowned on this throne in front of the altar of Westminster Cathedral. Only once did the throne leave the walls of the abbey: it was transferred to the ceremony for the proclamation of Cromwell as Lord Protector.

Located in the north wing of the apse, the Henry VII Chapel is the finest example of late Gothic in England. The beauty of its carved ceiling can be considered unsurpassed. All the details of the chapel - architectural forms, carvings, forged lattices - are very beautiful. The benches in the chapel are covered with fine carvings with different realistic scenes for each bench. On the tomb of Henry VII and his wife, sculptural portraits of the royal couple are installed. These sculptures were made by the Italian sculptor Pietro Torrigiano in 1518.

Here is the tomb of Queens rivals Elizabeth Tudor and Mary Stuart - Bloody Mary. Irreconcilable enemies in life, they are buried in the same grave...

In addition to the tombs of these two queens, in the abbey you can see the luxurious sarcophagi of other queens and duchesses of Britain - Margaret Beaufort, Anne Seymour, Margaret Douglas.

Since 1725, the chapel has been placed at the disposal of the chapter of the Knights of the Order of the Bath - one of the highest state awards in England, and the banners of the chapter are kept in the chapel. The chapel of Henry VII is surrounded by five small chapels. In the middle of them is buried Lord Protector of England Oliver Cromwell, whose body was thrown out of Westminster during the restoration of the monarchy and posthumously beheaded.

In a small room in the northern wing of the apse, you can see wax figures of many figures of English history: King Charles II, Queens Elizabeth and Anne, the Duke of Buckingham, Admiral Nelson, Prime Minister Pitt Sr. and others. But this is not a Wax Museum - just in the Middle Ages it was customary during the burial of kings or noble persons to carry a wax image of the deceased dressed in magnificent clothes in front of the procession. Over the centuries, these figures have formed a panopticon in Westminster Abbey.

The facade of the Chapter House, a Gothic building from 1250, overlooks the spacious courtyard of the abbey. This is one of the best and most original buildings of English Gothic. Its six huge windows were once adorned with multicolored stained glass windows destroyed during the Reformation. From 1265 to 1547, the House of Commons of the English Parliament met in Chapter House, and from 1547 to 1865, the Archive of British Government Records was located here.

The oldest part of the abbey is the Peaks Chapel, built in 1065. This chapel served as a monastic and then royal treasury for many years. It kept samples of gold and silver coins in circulation in special caskets, hence its name "piks" - "casket". One of the most accurate scales in the world for weighing gold and silver was also located here. In Peaks Chapel, heavy Norman vaults on thick columns, medieval chests in which treasures were stored, and double doors with six locks and huge keys have been preserved in complete integrity.

The high examples of English medieval art and the interesting historical past of Westminster Cathedral attract tourists from all over the world.

Church of St. Margaret (St. Margaret)

Anglican temple, known since the 11th century. The Church of St. Margaret was erected by the monks of Westminster Abbey for ordinary parishioners, while the abbey itself was intended for the coronations of monarchs. The modern building, already the third in a row, was erected in 1523, it is distinguished by an elegant light form and light colors, atypical for buildings in Westminster.

In 1614, this temple began to be massively visited by representatives of the House of Commons, since then it has been considered the parish church of the English Parliament. The names of many prominent figures in Britain are associated with the Church of St. Margaret. Famous politician Sir Walter Raleigh and the creator of the first English printing press William Caxton are buried here, Geoffrey Chaucer prayed in it and Winston Churchill was married. Now the temple hosts weekly concerts of sacred music, which everyone can attend.

Tradition points to 616 as the earliest possible date for the founding of the abbey. But it is reliably known that in the 960s, Saint Dunstany, with the support of King Edgar, founded a small community of Benedictine monks on the site of the modern abbey.

Under King Edward the Confessor in 1045-1050, a stone building of the abbey was erected, which became part of his palace complex. The only depiction of the building of that time in the Romanesque style has been preserved on the famous tapestry from Bayeux.

Under the Norman kings, Westminster Abbey became the place of coronation, and under Henry III - the royal tomb. It was he who began the rebuilding of the cathedral in the Gothic style in 1245. It is interesting that part of the stone for the construction was brought from Caen and the Loire Valley in France. Of the three architects, at least two were English, but the influence of the cathedrals of Chartres, Amiens and Reims is obvious in the construction.

The resulting building boasts the highest Gothic vault in England - 32.6 meters.

Typical of English Gothic is the fan vault, especially beautiful in the chapel of the Virgin Mary and the side naves.

Most of the work was completed by the end of the 13th century. Henry VIII, who was reforming the Church to subjugate it to royalty and confiscate its valuables, granted the abbey the status of a cathedral. However, in 1550 the royal treasury moved to St. Paul's Cathedral. It was during this period that the saying “rob Peter to pay Paul” may have arisen, since the money destined for Westminster Abbey (consecrated in the name of St. Peter) was brought to St. Paul's Cathedral.

During the English Revolution, the abbey suffered little damage and was soon restored. And between 1722 and 1745, under the direction of the architect Nicholas Hawksmoor, the two towers of the western façade were erected in the Gothic Revival style.

Westminster Abbey boasts a number of unique attractions:

• broken in the courtyard the oldest garden in England, which has been cultivated for over 900 years.
• The gallery is oldest door in england darkened with time.
• The abbey keeps antique wooden throne, made by order of Edward I in 1301 in order to place under it the sacred coronation stone of the Scottish kings, captured by Edward in Scotland. All English kings have been crowned on it, starting with Edward I.

Grave of Newton and other famous people in Westminster Abbey

Most of the monarchs ascending the English throne are buried in Westminster Abbey, as well as other great personalities, such as:

• David Livingston
• Henry Purcell
• Charles Darwin
• Ernest Rutherford
• Michael Faraday

And in Poets' Corner rest the ashes of famous English poets and writers:

• Thomas Hardy,
• Charles Dickens
• Geoffrey Chaucer,
• Alfred Tennyson
• Gurney Irving
• Rudyard Kipling

There are also memorials to writers who are buried in other places:

• W. Blake
• W. Shakespeare
• J. Byron
• L. Carroll
• J. Austin
• R. Burns
• the Bronte sisters
• P. Shelley
• and many others.

In total, about 3 thousand famous personalities are buried here, and 600 monuments and memorial plaques have been installed. But the most famous and visited place is tomb of Isaac Newton.

Westminster Abbey is a large temple with the official name of St. Peter's Collegiate Church in Westminster. It is a Gothic building located to the west of the Houses of Parliament in the central London borough of Westminster. Here, until 1539, there was a Benedictine monastic monastery, until the monastery was abolished. Between 1540 and 1556 the church had the status of a cathedral. But despite its current name, Westminster Abbey is not formally an abbey or a cathedral. Since 1560, Elizabeth I issued a special royal charter on the transition of the English churches to the status of Royal peculiar (royal features, estates), according to which the dean and heads of the churches of the kingdom are subordinate to the monarch, and not to the bishop.

Meaning

The majestic church building does not have a history full of interesting events, and its architecture does not stand out for originality or pronounced beauty. But the greatest significance of Westminster Abbey for the state is unconditional. This is a special royal church. Since the coronation of William the Conqueror in 1066, all the coronations of English and later British monarchs have been performed under the vaults of this temple, funeral services and weddings of members of royal families have been held here. Since 1100, at least 16 royal weddings have been held at the abbey. Since the middle of the 10th century, the tradition of daily worship in the abbey continues to this day.

Not only royal persons are buried in the church, many English figures who played the greatest role in the development of state policy, culture and science were awarded this honor. In total, over three thousand people are buried on the territory of the abbey, six hundred of which have tombstones. Since 1987, Westminster Abbey, St. Margaret's Church and the Houses of Parliament in London have been collectively designated World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.

History of architecture

The construction of the first temple on the site of the modern abbey began 1400 years ago, during the founding of the Christian English Church, at the origins of which stood Bishop Augustine of Canterbury. At the beginning of the 7th century, Augustine sent Mellitus, one of his priests, to the kingdom of Essex by the Thames, near London, to preach and convert the population to the Christian faith. One of the first to accept Christianity was the king of the East Saxons, Sabert. They and Mellit built a Christian church two miles west of old London on the island of Thorney. And Mellit from 604 became the first bishop of London.

The recorded origins of the abbey date back to the 960s or early 970s, when Saint Dunstan, Bishop of Worcester and London, together with King Edgar, established a community of Benedictine monks on the site of the church. With the growing influence of the abbey, the monastery and the island began to be called the Western Church (West Minster). The first known reconstruction of the church was made in 1065-1090, and it was started by the Anglo-Saxon king Edward, called the Confessor. On the eve of his death in 1042, the temple was consecrated. The support columns with round arches in the crypt of the modern abbey are the only surviving trace of the construction of that time.

The next reconstruction was the most important, during which the church acquired its main appearance. Construction was carried out for almost three centuries (1245-1517) and began under Henry III, according to whose plan the building of Westminster Abbey was designed and created as a Gothic cathedral. The work was supervised by the royal stonemason Henry of the Rhine. Henry III ordered a unique mosaic floor in front of the High Altar, paved in the Italian cosmatesco technique. During the construction period of the XIV century, the appearance of the church reflected significant traces of the activity and leadership of the skilled architect Henry Yevel. Under him were built: the nave, the House of the Abbot, the western cloister and several tombs. Construction work was completed during the reign of Richard II.

The first Tudor king, Henry VII, added in 1503 the Lady Chapel dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, known as the Chapels. Most of the stone for it was brought from the city of Cannes and the Loire Valley in France, as well as from the island of Portland.

Status changes

By 1535, the abbey's annual income was £2,400-2,800, equivalent to £1,340,000-1,527,000 in 2016. It was the second richest Christian monastery in England after the monastic community of Glastonbury.

Henry VIII assumed direct royal control of the abbey in 1539, investing it with the position of second cathedral under the charter of 1540. At the same time, the monarch issued a decree with a written patent establishing the Diocese of Westminster. By granting cathedral status to Westminster Abbey, Henry VIII secured grounds to spare the temple from the destruction or decay that most English monasteries and churches had undergone during that period, while still controlling its income.

The rights to the abbey were restored by the Benedictines under the reign of the Catholic Mary I, but again abolished by the ascended throne of Elizabeth I. In 1560, the Virgin Queen Bess restored the activities of Westminster, but making it the Collegiate Church of St. Peter, and not the cathedral, headed by the dean. Westminster Abbey received the status of Royal Peculiar, that is, the Anglican Church, which is directly subordinate to the sovereign, and not to the bishop.

Recent conversions

During the rebellious 1640s, the abbey suffered damage when it was attacked by Puritan iconoclasts. But thanks to the patronage of the state and the monarchy, the church was protected, and the destruction remained insignificant.

Between 1722 and 1745, the architect Nicholas Hawksmoor erected the two western towers of the temple from Portland stone, modeled after the late Gothic and early Renaissance. And the walls and upper floors of the church are lined with Purbeck marble, and many tombstones are also made of various types of marble. According to the description, Westminster Abbey in the 19th century, under the direction of the architect Sir George Gilbert Scott, underwent major restoration work and the latest reconstructions.

Chapel of the Mysteries of the Order of Knights

One of the most beautiful details of the church interior is the vaulted ceiling of the chapel of Henry VII. No photos of Westminster Abbey convey the interior splendor of this building. When the Order of the Bath was established by George I (1725), the chapel became the site of installation ceremonies for the most honored order, presided over by the Grand Master. Ceremonies are held every four years, and every second of them is attended by the king. Such a strange name of the order comes from an ancient knightly rite, when a neophyte was subjected to an all-night vigil in fasting and prayer, with an obligatory cleansing bath on the eve of the initiation ceremony. Composition of the Order: Sovereign Head (King of Britain); Grand Grand Master (Master), whose role belongs to the Prince of Wales; three knightly classes. Members of the order are not only knights, but also ladies.

church organ

The beautiful Harrison & Harrison organ was installed in 1937 and first used at the coronation of George VI. Some of the trumpets from the previous 1848 instrument, Craftsman William Hill, have been removed and included in the new scheme. The two organ bodies, designed and built in the late 19th century by John Loughborough Pearson, were restored and painted in 1959. In 1982 and 1987, Harrison & Harrison expanded the organ to include additional registers under the direction of the then abbey organist Simon Preston. In 2006, the organ console was renovated and expanded by the same company Harrison & Harrison. One part of the instrument, the Celestial Organ, is currently non-functional. The current organist and master of choirs, James O'Donnell, has been working since 2000.

The Second World War

Westminster suffered the most damage in history during the May 1941 bombing, when several incendiary bombs hit the roof of the building. They were all extinguished except for one, which caught fire among the wooden beams and the plaster vault of the roof over the north transept. The flames quickly spread, burning debris with molten lead roofing began to fall on wooden stalls, pews, lamps and other church equipment. However, church officials managed to carry out most of the furniture. Finally, part of the roof collapsed, preventing the fire from spreading further.

During those war years, about 60,000 sandbags were used to protect the tombs. The Coronation Chair was sent for security and the Coronation Stone was buried in the recesses of the abbey.

The honor of burial

Since the Middle Ages, English monarchs, aristocrats, monks and people associated with the abbey have been buried in chapels, crypts, transepts, under floor slabs and elsewhere in the church. One of them was the poet Geoffrey Chaucer (1400), who was honorably buried here. A century and a half later, ashes were buried in the abbey, then other poets, writers and musicians were buried or their names were immortalized here in the "Poets' Corner" of the south transept.

Subsequently, Westminster Abbey became the most honored burial place in Britain. The practice of burying prominent national figures in the abbey began with the funeral of an admiral in 1657 and continued with a list of generals, admirals, politicians, doctors and scientists such as Isaac Newton or Charles Darwin. In the 20th century, it became customary to bury cremated remains in the abbey. In 1905, the first cremated ashes interred in the church were those of the actor Henry Irving.

legends

There are few legends about Westminster Abbey, and one of them goes back to the founding of the church. In those days, the Thames was rich in fish, and many fishermen hunted in its waters. One of them had a vision of the patron saint of fishermen - the Apostle Peter, at the place where the temple was soon erected. On the eve of the ceremony of consecration of the church, allegedly its founder, Mellitus, also appeared St. Peter, whose name the abbey later received. Perhaps the legend was the reason why, in later times, the fishermen of the Thames annually on June 29, on St. Peter's Day, brought rich gifts of salmon to the abbey. And the fishing company Fishmongers "Company still supplies the abbey with fish.

Another story concerns the island of Thorni itself, on which the church is located. It was first named in the 8th century as Thorn ait (thorny island) because of its abundant wild brambles. In the chronicles of that time, it is called "a terrible place." After 200 years, under King Edward the Confessor, the island is mentioned as "the most beautiful place, surrounded by green fields with fertile soil." The monks began to cultivate blackberries and develop the tradition of English gardening. To this day, the abbey gardens, which are considered the oldest in London, have been preserved.

You can tell a lot of interesting things about Westminster Abbey and its interior. Here is a small part of his stories.

The latest news from Westminster Abbey will be the opening in 2018 of the Royal Diamond Jubilee Galleries, a new museum in a medieval triforium. The gallery, located at a height of 70 feet, has been hidden from the public for over 700 years. These newly opened galleries will provide visitors with magnificent views of the Palace of Westminster and the church. Treasures and collections reflecting the abbey's rich and varied thousand-year history will be on display here.