Friday, April 29, 2011

Westminster Abbey


Hi, there!,

Prince William and Kate Middleton are getting married in Westminster Abbey as Willam's grandmother, the Queen Elizabeth II and Duke of Edinburgh in 1947 .

If you travel to London, you can see this beautiful church at the centre, near the Houses of Parliament, next to the Big Ben and located just to the west of the Palace of Westminter.

This ancient church has been regarded as the place for British monarchs' coronations and royal weddings. But also, Westminster Abbey is very well-known due to its significant monuments and memorials, since many relevant people were buried there, such as Geoffrey Chaucer, who wrote The Canterbury Tales; Jane Austern , Charles Dickens, William Blake, Robert Burns, among others. Thus, there is an area within the church renowned as Poets' Corner.In addition, there is another area where many British monarchs are buried too, such as Henry III. and Elizabeth I. Other important people such as Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin are buried here too.

This Abbey will be always linked with the King Edward The Confessor, who constructed this between 1045 and 1050 AD. Three centuries later, after many coronations celebrated there, Henry III constructed this with its current Gothic style, This British monarch built his burial site, but he also wanted to emphasize the cult which had grown up around Edward the Confessor.

When you visit this great Gothic church, you can also see on the floor, in the centre of the nave, the tomb of the Unknown Warrior, an unidentified British soldier who was killed during the First World War and he was buried here 11th November 1920. There are many other graves on the floor, but this is the only one which is forbidden to step on. (See the photo).





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