Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey, more formally known as The Collegiate Church of St. Peter at Westminster, is a large church in London which is an extremely important and unique part of British history. Although it was built in the 10th century, Westminster Abbey is surprisingly still an active church today. Not only is it a church, but this amazing site is also the shrine of St. Edward the Confessor, the tombsite of many kings and queens, and the memorial site for some of the most significant people in British history; William Shakespeare and Sir Isaac Newton, to name a few.

This site is extremely representative of British history because it is a large display of both tradition and religion.

Traditions in Westminster Abbey:

• Coronations- 38 coronations have taken place here, the most recent being of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
• Royal Burials- Many royals have been buried inside. So many, in fact, that there is no more room for additional royalties. Because of the lack of space, other future monarchs are buried at Windsor. 



The Royal Wedding 2011, inside the Abbey

•  Royal Weddings- 16 weddings have taken place inside, the most recent being Prince William to Catherine Middleton in 2011.

From the moment I stepped foot inside of the Abbey I knew that it was a place of extreme tradition. I noticed a few people paying their respects near the front entrance and assumed that they were locals that consistently do this.

Another tradition which I recognized (our tour guide mentioned it, too) was that at every hour on the hour everybody inside of Westminster Abbey stops where they are and says a prayer. I believe that this is most likely a longstanding tradition.

I believe that tradition is really what keeps all people very unique and makes an individual or specific group. If the traditions that have taken place at the Abbey for centuries suddenly stop, Britain would not be the same. The history of traditions, especially those so important such as coronations, is truly what makes this country unique. Tradition is an important identity quality on all levels (individual, family, national, etc.)

Religion

In 1533, during the reign of Henry VIII, England broke from the Roman Catholic Church to form the Church of England. This separation occurred because King Henry VIII wanted a divorce from Catherine of Agagon. He had asked the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church for permission, but was denied. Angry and yearning for divorce, King Henry VIII started his own church, The Church of England (Anglican). The followers of this new church were known as Protestants.

Front of Westminster Abbey

For a short time, when Queen Mary I reigned (1553-1558), the country was changed back to Catholicism. All Protestants that refused to convert back to Catholicism were burned at the stake. However, in 1558, when Queen Elizabeth I became Queen, the country was changed back to Anglican and has been that way ever since. 

The religion aspects that are shown inside of Westminster Abbey are more in the sense of tradition and respect. For example, the prayers that are said in the Abbey at certain times display traditions of the church, although directly related to religion, as well.

The high altar of the church serves not only as a place of worship but was built especially high in order to provide a "theatre" for coronations. This is, again, showing how religion is connected to traditions.

Reflection
Personally, I am not at all religious and have never even been to church. Neither side of my family is religious, either so I never really experience any type of religion. Being inside of Westminster Abbey, therefore, was actually pretty uncomfortable for me (especially during prayer). The fact that so many people are buried inside did not bother me at all, though. I feel like death is natural and bound to happen so I am not uncomfortable with it. Religion, though, is not necessarily forced so, to me, it is one of those uncomfortable topics to discuss.

My feelings about religion actually helped me learn and observe a lot while on this tour. I really noticed that religion is extremely important to many people and seems to be practiced in a very proper, traditonal way. I noticed that the people showing their respects at the front were extremely preoccupied with what they were doing. This tells me that their focus was solely in that church. Observing how serious people take religion makes me somewhat more interested in religion; however, I honestly do not think I will go out of my way to learn enough about a religion to practice it.