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.
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originally made for Cardinal Wolsley, who was the Lord Chancellor during Henry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 16th 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.
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