Westminster Abbey’s Enduring Legacy: From Catechisms to Coronations

Growing up in the church, you hear “The Westminster Shorter Catechism” mentioned quite a bit. The famous religious catechism is an easy tool for converts to know what they believe. It is written in an easy-to-follow question-and-answer format. The questions and answers are concise and to the point, but they were written in a turbulent time in England.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism was written in 1647 by the 120 ministers who made up the Westminster Assembly of Divines. The goal was to reform the Church of England during the English Civil War. The Assembly wrote two catechisms, a short and long form, but in doing so tore England apart.

The English Civil War occurred between 1642 and 1651. English kings presided over England with authority over a multitude of philosophical structures. Charles I believed in the idea that a king had a divine right, meaning that all monarchs and smaller authority figures answered to him. However, Parliament believed that a monarchy couldn’t raise money without their approval.

Charles I needed money to sustain his lavish lifestyle and to fund his wars with Spain and France. He requested money from Parliament and was refused. Charles I got rid of the law and came up with his “Personal Rule,” which helped him raise money for his projects. Obviously, this didn’t go well.

As hot as the politics and its tug of war between the King and Parliament were, religion was as hot of a topic, if not more so. England was a predominantly Protestant country. Then, Charles I married Henrietta Maria of France, who was Catholic. England’s new queen believed in the importance of church rituals and an old Catholic style. This worried Puritans and Presbyterians, and they feared England would go back to its Roman Catholic ways. Furthering the Protestant fear, Charles attempted to impose a new prayer book in 1637 in Scotland, which prompted the Bishops’ Wars.

Charles’ treasury was depleted, and he requested more funds from Parilament. In return, Parliament limited his powers. Enraged, Charles had 5 members of Parliament arrested in 1642. Parliament raised an army of Parliamentarians (Roundheads), and Charles called upon a “Royalist” army, thus igniting the English Civil War.

The Royalists were defeated, and Charles I was beheaded in 1649. Oliver Cromwell took control of England, and for a moment in time, England was a republic.

Anyway, back to Westminster. The Church of England needed to be restructured, and Puritans, Anglicans, and Presbyterians debated what Christianity should look like. The churches in England and Scotland wanted a crystal-straightforward way of teaching the masses what the Christian faith was all about. The Westminster Confession of Faith was written, along with the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, inside Westminster’s Jerusalem Room.

During the 1650s to the 1700s, the shorter and larger catechisms spread throughout Europe and in America. The question-and-answer format became the cornerstone of the Christian faith in many churches.

So, why is a travel creator writing about the Larger and Shorter Catechisms? I wanted to be in the room where it happened, but I wasn’t allowed. So, I did the next best thing and visited the building where it happened. Visitors cannot enter the Jerusalem Chamber in the Abbey because it is used by the Deanery. On special occasions, meetings and celebrations are held within the chamber, but people need permission from the Dean. However, Westminster Abbey is still fascinating to tour.

Westminster Abbey is one of my favorite places to visit in London. I have written a lot about the English Civil War during my recent journey to the United Kingdom, and this summary of the war might assist those who are not familiar with English history.

This was my fourth visit to Westminster Abbey , and I’ll return for many more visits. I always find a new appreciation for the architecture and the history found within the hallowed grounds.

Westminster Abbey’s story starts nearly a thousand years before the catechisms were written. In the 960s, a Benedictine monastery was built on the site where the abbey stands. At that time, Westminster was known as Thorney Island and was a marsh surrounded by reeds and water. The church was a small stone church and was dedicated to St. Peter. The church was known as “West Minster” to differentiate it from St. Paul’s in London (East Minster).

The monks inside the monastery lived a humble lifestyle and spent most of their days praying, interpreting scripture, writing, and accepting weary travelers who ventured into the marsh. Over time, word got out that the location was blessed, and an increase in visitors looking for a blessing or healing.

When Edward the Confessor took the throne in the 11th century, he desired to have a majestic place of worship in London. Edward was a devout Christian and made a vow while in exile in Normandy that if he were ever to return home, he would build a massive cathedral. In 1042, the construction began. The church was completed in 1066, 28 days before Edward’s death. Edward was interred near the high altar.

Since King Edward passed away without an heir to take his place, his brother-in-law Harold Godwinson was crowned king by the King’s Council (the Witenagemot). Before his death, Edward had offered his cousin William, the Duke of Normandy, his throne. The King of Norway also believed he had a right to the crown. A three-way fight for the crown took place and culminated in the Battle of Hastings in October 1066. Godwinson was killed during the battle, and William the Conqueror took the throne. His coronation occurred at the abbey on Christmas Day in 1066. Since then, almost every British monarch has been crowned inside the abbey.

When Henry III became King of England in 1216, he brought with him a love of architecture. He desired a French style to be added to Westminster, and reconstruction began in 1245. Henry was inspired by cathedrals found in Paris and wanted to match their eloquence. High pointed arches, stained glass windows, spheres, and ribbed vaults were added to the Gothic masterpiece. King Edward’s body was moved into a shire in 1269.

Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries throughout England after he became king in 1509, but kept Westminster’s intact. Westminster was re-founded and listed as the “Cathedral of the new order.” When Elizabeth I took the crown, the abbey became a “royal peculiar,” meaning it answered only to the monarch, which in other churches, answered directly to the Bishop. The rule continues to this day.

The abbey has seen its fair share of chaos throughout its lifetime. During the English Civil War, Puritans broke into the Abbey, and stole jewels, defaced graves, including Edward the Confessor’s tomb. Windows were smashed, and images of and statues of saints were destroyed. After Charles I’s execution, he could not be buried in the abbey and his body was moved to Windsor. Yet, Oliver Cromwell, who led the revolt against the British Monarch was buried inside Westminster.

When the monarchy retook the throne in 1660, Cromwell’s body was dug up and defaced. Westminster was restored, and earlier damage was fixed. Royal ceremonies returned, including the coronation of kings and queens inside the chapel.

Further adjustments to Westminster occurred between 1722 and 1745, when the iconic façade was built. With England’s imperial power increasing, a desire for a national monument was felt. Famed architect Nicholas Hawksmoor designed a Gothic style with some Baroque influence to be added to the famous cathedral. It was during this time that the two west towers were constructed.

Over 3,000 people are laid to rest within Westminster Abbey. Here are some of them that can be visited today:
Royalty: Edward the Confessor, Henry III, Edward Longshanks, Richard II, Henry V, Edward V, Henry VII, Elizabeth I, Mary I, Mary, Queen of Scots.
Poets, Writers, and Playwrights: Geoffrey Chaucer, Edmund Spenser, Ben Johnson, John Dryden, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Robert Browning, Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, Thomas Hardy, Lawrence Olivier, and George Frederick Handel.
Scientists: Sir Issac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Stephen Hawking.
Statesmen: William Pitt the Elder, William Pitt the Younger, George Canning.

Westminster Abbey isn’t just a place of worship or a burial site for some of England’s elite, but also a symbol of Great Britain’s enduring legacy that reaches far beyond its timeline and borders.