St. Paul's Cathedral

While Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s Cathedral share many aspects religiously and secularly, it is deeper within these ideas that we see their differences. Sixteen royal weddings have taken place at Westminster Abbey since its construction in 1245 under the urging of King Henry III. While Westminster Abbey does not list any on their official website as happening during the Renaissance, this is still an impressive list nonetheless.

With the original St. Paul’s being erected in 604, more than 600 years before Westminster, its sizeable difference in age also holds true for its seating capacity. The iconic Princess Diana and Charles chose to marry at St. Paul’s because they “were on a mission to become the people’s prince and princess”, according to a Time article. In other words, this meant that they needed seating for a spectacle. According to the same Time article, “St. Paul’s Cathedral can hold 3, 500 guests, [while Westminster’s] capacity is just 2,000”. With this, St. Paul’s is nearly twice as old as Westminster and possesses twice the capacity. This contrasting aspect of the churches could pose as the difference between an intimate gathering or more of an extravagant affair—a decision ultimately made by the royal couple.

As both churches stand for a symbol of celebration, they also symbolize mourning. Both Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s served as final resting places for the royals and affluent people in the community and abroad. Nine monarchs were buried at Westminster during the Renaissance including Henry VII, Edward VI, Anne of Cleves, Henry VII, Queen Elizabeth, Mary (Queen of Scots), James I, Charles II, and Mary II. St. Paul’s is home to over 200 memorials in the crypt, however few people were actually interred there. As our brochure highlight, The Crypt is one of the top five places to visit while at St. Paul’s. Michael pointed out that the Crypt is the Cathedral’s foremost burial place where floors used to be plain earth where a simple stone was placed on top as a marker. Notable figures who are buried in the crypt are Vice Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson and Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. Others include: the poet John Donne; the painters Sir Anthony Van Dyck, Sir Joshua Reynolds, and Joseph Turner; the scientist Sir Alexander Fleming; and the architects Sir Christopher Wren and Sir Edwin Lutyens.

Despite plethora of figures buried here, the history behind Lord Nelson’s tomb is especially interesting to me when researching information for St. Paul’s because in it is highlighted Cardinal, whose quarters we saw at Hampton Court Palace. Nelson’s tomb was originally made for Cardinal Wolsley, who was the Lord Chancellor during Henry VIII reign in the early 16^th century. 

After Wolsley fell out of favor with King Henry VIII because he failed to secure an annulment of his wife Catherine of Aragon for Anne Boleyn. It is rumored that Anne Boleyn convinced Henry that Wolsely was deliberately slowing proceedings and with this he was arrested and stripped of his government office and property in 1529. His tomb was given to Lord Nelson and ironically Wolsey was buried elsewhere without even a marker.

From weddings to burials and political strife, both Westminster Abbey and St. Paul’s serve as religious and secular icons.