Westminster Abbey
Title
Westminster Abbey
Description
Westminster Abbey is certainly not a structure built during the Protestant Reformation, nor the English Reformations, but its history is inextricably entangled with Protestantism and Anglicanism, so it has earned its spot in this era. The original building was the first church in England built in the romanesque style; from about 1245 to 1517, construction on the current church was underway, and the current structure is largely Gothic ("History of..."). (The towers came later, in the 18th century.) During that period, the Abbey became the coronation site of Norman kings and often had some political influence due to its proximity to the Palace of Westminster. So, by the 16th century, Westminster Abbey was well established as an important site for the English monarchy ("History of..."). Then, of course, came Henry VIII, and the beginnings of the English Reformations, and the dissolution of the monasteries.
Westminster Abbey is a peculiar case in this situation. While most of the dissolved and seized monasteries were either destroyed or left to waste away by Henry VIII, he chose to grant the Abbey the status of a cathedral, sparing it from destruction and ruin. This choice clarifies that he knew very well the Abbey's specific importance to the English crown and was unwilling to let it fall from grace (and usefulness) with all the rest of the monasteries in England. After ten or so years as a cathedral, the very Catholic Mary I came into the throne and restored Westminster Abbey to the Benedictines. This was reversed, of course, when her successor Elizabeth I took the throne, and in 1560 Elizabeth designated the Abbey a "Royal Peculiar" ("History of..."): a church of the Church of England that was directly under the sovereign, not responsible to a bishop (as would normally be the case). Westminster Abbey has since then continued to be the coronation site of every English monarch, and has also been the site of many royal weddings (largely since the early 20th century, but nonetheless). The fascinating history of Westminster Abbey, transformed by Protestantism's rise in England, thus saw it change functions very quickly and ultimately very permanently: from an abbey to a cathedral back to an abbey to a Protestant church to one of the most important churches in the Anglican religion. It is a prime example of how a shift in culture or politics can alter the entire purpose and function of a building.
Westminster Abbey is a peculiar case in this situation. While most of the dissolved and seized monasteries were either destroyed or left to waste away by Henry VIII, he chose to grant the Abbey the status of a cathedral, sparing it from destruction and ruin. This choice clarifies that he knew very well the Abbey's specific importance to the English crown and was unwilling to let it fall from grace (and usefulness) with all the rest of the monasteries in England. After ten or so years as a cathedral, the very Catholic Mary I came into the throne and restored Westminster Abbey to the Benedictines. This was reversed, of course, when her successor Elizabeth I took the throne, and in 1560 Elizabeth designated the Abbey a "Royal Peculiar" ("History of..."): a church of the Church of England that was directly under the sovereign, not responsible to a bishop (as would normally be the case). Westminster Abbey has since then continued to be the coronation site of every English monarch, and has also been the site of many royal weddings (largely since the early 20th century, but nonetheless). The fascinating history of Westminster Abbey, transformed by Protestantism's rise in England, thus saw it change functions very quickly and ultimately very permanently: from an abbey to a cathedral back to an abbey to a Protestant church to one of the most important churches in the Anglican religion. It is a prime example of how a shift in culture or politics can alter the entire purpose and function of a building.
Creator
Original architect: unknown
Drawing: Thomas Picken
Drawing: Thomas Picken
Source
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Opactwo_Westminster_w_Londynie.jpg
"History of Westminster Abbey." Westminster Abbey. Accessed September 28, 2018. https://www.westminster-abbey.org/about-the-abbey/history/history-of-westminster-abbey/
"History of Westminster Abbey." Westminster Abbey. Accessed September 28, 2018. https://www.westminster-abbey.org/about-the-abbey/history/history-of-westminster-abbey/
Date
Originally built in 960. Rebuilt in 1517.
Drawing: 1851
Drawing: 1851
Contributor
Maddie Gartland
Rights
Public Domain; free re-use
Citation
Original architect: unknown
Drawing: Thomas Picken, “Westminster Abbey,” HIST 139 - Early Modern Europe, accessed April 25, 2026, https://earlymoderneurope.hist.sites.carleton.edu/items/show/52.