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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1953-5-27, Page 3Westminster Abbey— Focus us OF All Eyes Probably no other single edifice in the world today so stirs the emotions of western men as does Wesminster Abbey — or simply The Abbey as it Is affectionately called, Foz` in this ancient building will presently, take place the corona- tion of Queen Elizabeth II, In. June there will journey to Lan- don a multitude of visitors — citizens of England and the Com- monwealth over whom the new Queen will reign, people from the Continent of Europe and beyond, others from the Americas, lovers of England and of the English from across distant lands and seas. Closer to People The focus of all their attention will be The Abbey, still standing stalwart as it has stood now for almost 1,000 years, just across the square from the Houses of Pprlia- ment, thus evidencing that indi- visible link between church and state wh,ch is ,so firmly en- trenched. in the English tradition. One might consider $t. Paul's Cathedral more impressive, thrusting its great dome high against the pale blue sky, stretching its vast length along the top of Ludgate Hill and' thus. overlooking much of the city, the Thames, and the surrounding country. As for The Abbey, one might: argue Mat it is humbler, less dramatic, lying as it does close to the soil, nearer to the river, as though it loved the very terrain of England. And this may be true; yet, built at first in the marshes about Thorney Island, gray and somber if one likes to fancy it so, Westminster Abbey comes, closer to the people. It, Is at the throbbing heart of the Commonwealth with all its diversified and far -scattered citi- zens. No building more nearly typifies the unity and allegiance of the English people, Also, to an amazing degree, it toe, ches the sympathies and calls forth the devotion of men outside the Com- monwealth. What, indeed, is the first build- ing• to claim the ndtice of the average newcomer to London? Why, Westminster Abbey. of course. Riding the top-heavy red busses as they charge down Whitehall from Trafalgar Square, hurrying through the dim pas- sages of the Underground, trudg- ing on foot past the entrance to Downing Street and skirting the Cenotaph, come visitors to pay their solemn respects to The Ab- bey and, within its eloquent walls, to say their ardent prayers for the peace of the world. Place To Meditate Go in under the portico of the great door in the north trasept. The interior seems at first im- penetrable,..so grope for a nearby pew and sit down until eyes be- come accustomed to 'the shadows. Perhaps it is the hour of after- noon vespers with the organ play- ing softly and those high, sweet voices of the choir boys pene- trating the reaches of the vast building, echoing under the vaulted roof, heard far down the nave to the west door and even in the exquisite chapel of Henry VII at the eastern end, Sit and listen and meditate, while gazing raptly at the jewel- like glass and delicate tracery of the rose window in the opposite trasept. Therein lies pleasure enough for some time. People move about silently, black shad- ows which are scarcely notice- able, so absorbed one is in the significance of his surroundings. One quiets in the atmosphere of the Abbey, There steals over the average man an awareness of its long consecration of the worship Ji God, down the ages from the time when King Ed- ward the Confessor demolished a ruder church on this site which had been built by Seised, King of the East Saxons, and laid the fouiidations of his own church. Edward did not long outlive the consecration of this church of his, which took place On .the flftli day of January in the year 1060. Harold's coronation followed and then that of William the 'Con- queror, the Norman, as is de- pleted in one small section of the Bayeux Tapestry, For nine hundred years Westminster Ab- bey has been the place of crown- ing for all English kings and queens with the exception of two 'only. Now it will soon see one more coronation—that of the Young Elizabeth II, who has al- ready consecrated her life to the service of her people, td the wel- fare and safety of England and the Commonwealth. ' At length, leaving one's seat near the north door, one moves reverently about the building and views all its wealth of ar- chitectural beauty and historical allusion. There is much to see. A week of steady application would scarcely include all the monuments in, for example. the Poets' Corner and along the nave and in the various small connect- ing chapels.' The superb fan - vaulting of Henry VII's Chapel, the grey Coronation Chair un- der which is encased the Stone of Scone, the worn flagstones and little steps used for so long ' by the monks of the adjoining monastery, the Tomb of the Un- known Soldier, the cloisters and little ancient squares, the en- trances to the Jerusalem Cham- ber and the Chapel of the Pyx -these and incalculably more await the visitors' inspection. The Abbey is a veritable sne- morial to immense numbers of England's famous sons; and, if not all the monuments are pleas- ing to the eye and if they are inexcusably crowded in nave and aisles and transepts, certain individual tombs and memorials are most beautiful and touching in their implications, such as those of Queen Elizabeth and of Mary Queen of Scots, cousins who never met in life. In any case, ft is not the details which so much matter; they fade in the pattern of the whole and its in- ner meaning. One accepts Westminster Ab- bey as the symbol of union among the English -s peaking peoples, the Witness to their free- dom, the hope for the future of all right-minded men. Its mag- nificent accomplishment is that, in some inexplicable way, it con- trives to gather up the past with all its achievement, 'andthe fut- ure bright with hope for the hu- man race—gathering • these to- gether into one mighty truth, re- assuring and significant beyond mere words to convey. Nowhere is there a building comparable to ' Westminster Abbey. The Frenchman, Comte de Montal- ernbert web described it when he wrote: "No monument has ever been more identified with the history of a people; every one of its stones represents a page in the annals of the country," Here is the perfect setting, then, for the consecration of a young and beautiful Queen. "God Save The luine—Seen above,, in this scene from the fibra "Coronation Ceremony," is a preview of the crowning of Queen Elizabeth Il. The Archbishop of Canterbury Inas just returned from the altar of London's Westminster Abbey, and is holding the Crown of St. Edward above the Queen's head. Are he places ii on her head the assemblage will shout "God Save the Queen." "Elizabeth II, by the •race of Gad, Queen of this realm and all her other realms and lerritorieS, Fiend of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith." Man. Who Walked Off With Royal Crown It Vanished Under Eyes Of Guards When 'top State . oflicials plan- ned the final details of the Abbey- ceremony, bbeyceremony, they took the strictest precautions to ensure that the Imperial State Crown is not mis- laid at the next Coronation, Why? - Because that is just what hap- ' pend at the last. At the crowning of King George VI, the wondrous Crown of nearly 3,000 gems—it contains some believed worn by, St. Ed- ward the Confessor, Henry V, Elizabeth 1 and Charles 11, and is now valued at £250,000—was missing just before the ceremony. began.' Those few high church digni- taries , who knew of the "loss" lived the most terrible fifteen minutes of their lives. Not a word of the dramatic happening leaked outside the ancient Abbey walls until recently.` How could it happen? How could the centrepiece of the world's most closely -guarded col- lection of jewels be mislaid? How could the Crown vanish before the eyes of its guards? Such a thing was considered impossible, But the impossible did happen and this is the sequence of events. On the afternoon of -May 12th, 1937 -the day before the Coro- nation—the regalia was brought from the Tower at London, and, as was customary, placed in the charge 'of the Dean of Westmin- ster, then The Very Rev. William Foxley Norris, who gave his re- ceipt for it, Overnight, the Crown Jewels lay in the Jerusalem Chamber. There were armed guards in the chamber all night, and in the precincts of Westminster Ab- bey were concentrations of police, ready at a moment's call, There should have been several pairs of eyes always fixed upon those priceless possessions of the British State. Carried Empty Cushion Before the ceremony could be- gin, the several items of regalia had to be placed in position in various parts of the Abbey, so as to be ready whets the compli- cated ritual called for their use. This movement of the regalia within the Abbey takes place ac- cording to ancient custom. The Dean and the canons of West- minster -each with one piece on a crimson velvet cushion -carry the jewelled objects from the Jerusalem Chamber in procession through the south and east clois- ters and into the sanctuary. Some of the jewels are laid on the high altar, others are placed on the altar in St Edward's Chapel just behind the high altar. The rest of the regalia is next carried, still in procession, through 11ie choir and nave to the annexe by the west door to await the Sovereign. Here this part of the regalia is handed to the great officers of State for them to Curry in the great pro- cession of the, Sovereign from the west door to the "theatre" where most of the ritual takes plum. During the procession of the regalia the Litany is sung and the congregation are 151 their pl aThe ss. ..Dean of Westminster is privileged to carry the. Imperial State Crowe:. On the teeming of May 13th, 1937, he was in his place in the line of 'prebendaries ready to be handed the Crown which he was to lay on the altar in St. Edward's Chapel. Ahead ot him the procession was starting. Several canons were. moving off, each carrying his pre- scribed piece of regalia. When the Dean came to take the Im- perial State Crown i1 was miss- ing; Those in charge of the regalia were dumbfounded. Nobody knew what had happened to the Crown. Earlier that momentous morning it had shared pride of place with St Edward's Crown on the long refectory table on which. the Crown Jewels had been displayed, The Dean's feelings can only be imagined, He was personally responsible for the. Crown—with- out it the ceremony could not proceed. Be was' in a terrible quandary. To have raised hue and cry—to started a search at that moment would have brought chaos to the Abbey. Split -Second Decision Dr. Foxley Norris was a man of strong beliefs. He believed it inconceivable that the Crown had been stolen. He made his decision instantly, taking his place in the slowly moving line, carrying his cushion before him—empty. The procession wound slowly through the cloisters. Of the many who watched it enter the Abbey by the door on the south Side, none sensed the drama of the moment, The "loss" was known only to a handful of people, but one or two officials did think that Dean's empty cushion very strange, And so to the high altar and thence to St, Edttsarit's Chapel; There, on the little altar at the head of St, Edward's' Shrine, was the Imperial State Crown! Worn a window high aboye the chapel a thin shaft of sunlight had set the Immense Stat' of Africa dia- mond which is unstinted in the rim, flashing like a beacon in a darkened world; The Dean's relief was enorm- ous. That diamond, sclistilating in the gloom of the little chapel, must have lit his darkened world with the blaze of,aummer's noon. .But how, slid the Crown get to St, Edward's Chapel? The Gere• moray had to proceed with the Mystery unsolved; afterwards an investigation was held, It was discovered that a minor civil servant—"some tiresome official underling" the highest dignitary of the .English Church called him -bad done what was considered impossible, He knew that the imperial State Crown had to be in St. Edward's Chapel for the latter part of the ceremony, He did not know the procedure for getting it there. Guards Did Not See So this man, seeing the most valuable crown that exists—one gem from which would have kept him in luxury for the rest of his life—resting on the table in the Jerusalem' Chamber, when he thought tt should be in St. Ed- ward's Chapel, acted in a very un -civil service -like manner. He picked up the Crown, Walk- ed out of the Chamber, went straight to St. Edward's Chapel. He spoke to nobody. The guards did not see him. The Abbey clergy had no inkling of his action. The shattering thought is that he might have walked out of the Abbey. It seems inconceivable „ that the Imperial State Crown could disappear at a coronation -but it did. 'And the authority for` this incredible story is none other 'than Cosmo Gordon Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury, who crowned King George VL Crown Jewels Are A Sparkling Sight Collection Shines In Tower Of London The British Crown Jewels, one of the most brilliant and popular sights in Europe, will play an essential and important part in. the Coronation ceremony at West- minster Abbey. Thousands of visitors to Britain's capital will remember seeing them on dis- play in the Tower of London. This priceless collection is sym- bolic of the solemn vows and regal qualities associated with British, Kings and Queens. There was a time, however, when parlimentarians 'thought to banish forever these- antique symbols of monarchy. In Janu ary, 1849, when Oliver Crom- welt's followers, victorious in the English Civil War, tried and ex- ecuted Charles I, the regalia was sold for what the gold and gems would fetch. The move was pre- mature. Eleven years later when Charles IT was. restored to his father's throne,. new crown jewels were provided. A London gold- smith, Sir Robert Vyner, direct- ed the work, much of which re- mains in the collection today. Principal Crowns The principal crowns are the Crown of the Realm, dating from Charles II's time, its design based on that of Edward the Confessor, and the Imperial State Crown, which the English sovereign wears on great occasions of state. The Imperial State Crown in- cludes many genus which, though at one time scattered, have sur- vived the vicissitudes • of history. There is, for in:dance, the great belles ruby of Edward the Blaelc Prince, worn by Henry V in .Ms helmet at. Agincourt, There is • the Stuart sapphire. given to George III by Cardinal Fork. the last of his line. There is 0 gem cut from the Cullinan diamond called the Second Star of Africa, and four large pearls once be- longing to Queen Elizabeth I, First Star of Africa Another jewel from the C:ulli• nan gleams near the head of one of the royal scepters. Knows: as the :First Star of 1Afrtca, it is said to be the largest rut diamond in the world. It was given tri Ed- ward VII in 1907 by the. Govern- ment of the Transvaal. it is in- serted with gold clasps se ar- ranged that it may be removed at will and warn as a pendant. Besides crown and sceptre's, the jowels include orbs, golden spheres surmounted by a cross, which symbolize the dominion of the s'csteln world by the Chris - 'ban religion. There are also rings. bracelets, swords, and spur., all magnificent and all with their signific'auce as emblems of royal powers or qualifies, 'Lastly lime are maces, meters of authority, their form deriving from a medi eval cavalry weapon, and now familiar in many civic ceremonies throughout the world. Mountain of Light As were Kings in Biblical times, the sovereigns of England are annointed and consecrated be- fore being crowned, The unguent consists of balm and olive oil. It is held in the Ampulla, a golden vessel which survived the dis- persal after the execution of Charles I but was completely re- made under Vyner's direction. to a Caroline pattern, The oldest single object in the whole regalia is the Anointing Spoon into which the oil is poured, the handle of which may date hack to the twelfth century. Bible Headlined ' At Coronation The Holy Bible, styled the "most valuable thing that the world affords,"' takes higher precedence than aver before in the .coronation service June 2, The form of service has been changed to emphasize its place In British life, The fabric of religious history, the life and meaning of pagean- try, even much of the imagery, of 20th -century English speech de. rives from the Scriptures. In the seventh century, Caed- mon was making his poetic ver- sion of the Scriptures, The Ven- erable Bede, " the father Of Eng- lish learning" was at work in the eighth century. King Alfred, ,a direct ancestor of Queen Eliza- beth II, translated parts of the Old and New Testaments. For this reason many hawa felt the presentation of the Bible to the sovereign should be em- phasized in the coronation cere- mony. Rearrangement of the order of service to bring this about and association of the Church of Scotlatsd in the act of presentation have therefore giv- en much satisfaction everywhere. Churches to Cooperate Though the Churches of Eng- land and Scotland had their dif- ferences, "they both equally re- gard the Holy Scriptures and ap- peal to them," Dr. Geoffrey Fisher, Archbishop of Canter- bury said in announcing the changes. Through the Archbishop and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the two churches will join together in presenting the Queers with the Bible. The presentation of the Holy Scriptures introduced first to the Coronation service in 1689 for the Coronation of William and Mary, has since then occurred after the crowning. Wow it will take place near the beginning of the service im- mediately after the recognition and the oath and before the start of the communion service, "The Bible is thus given its rightful significance fn the order of presentation," Dr. Fisher said. "The foundations are truly laid and the solemn rites can proceed. First the witness to the Word, and then the beginning of the Sacrament of the Holy Com- munion," Possibly the most famous of the many single stones in, the regalia is the Koh -i -Noor diamond. This is of Indian origin, and its name, which is appropriate to its bril- liance, means Mountain of Light. For many years it adorned the crown of Queen Mary, consort of King George V, and it was then transferred to that of the present Queen Mother. One of the most charming ob- jects is the small diamond crown of Queen Victoria, with the stones set in silver, The Queen was particularly fond of it, and a rep- resentation appears on her Jubi- lee coinage of 1887. o uP Referring to the role of the Church of Scotland in the c••re- mony for the first time, Dr. Fisher said that it "seemed al- together .right and fitting" that the Church of England and the Church of Scotland should ba associated, These were the only two churches whose position was specially recognized a n d to whose protection the sovereign was committed by declaration and. oath," Presentation Follows The- presentation of the Holy Bible now comes after what might be called the introductory part of the service. When the Queen seated after taking the oath, the Archbishop approaches the chair, and the Moderator of the General As- sembly ot the 'church of Scot- land, Dr. G. J. Jeffrey, receives the Bible from the Dean of West•- minsted and presents it to the Queen. The Archbishop mean- while repeats these words: "Our Gracious Queen: To keep your Majesty ever mindful of the Law and the Gospel of God as the rule for the whole life and. government of Christian Prin- ces, we present you with this Book, the most valuable thing that this world affords," The Moderator continues: "Here is wisdom, This is the royal -law. There are the lively oracles of God," Queen Elizabeth II returns the Bible to the Moderator who brings it to the Dean of West- minster to be placed upon the altar, Pages of History Unfold In Streets Passers-by will be able to re- construct the pages of history from the reign of Queen Eliza- beth I, when they walk the length of Beauchamp -place in its Coronation dress. The small street of Georgian. and Regency houses where Queen Mary liked to shop and where the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret are often seen, has planned its own street decora- tion scheme for the Coronation. Across the street at intervals will hang 18 hand -painted ban- ners with the Royal coat -of -arm; of the reigning monarchs. At similar intervals the little shops —selling hats, gowns, or glass, antiques, clocks or books, for ex- ample — will display on a scroll salient facts about the reign, and "dress" their windows according to the period. But there will be one gap at 10 years — the period of the Commonwealth that followed the execution of Charles I. "It was the unanimous vote o;' tine Beauchamp -place Associa- tion that they didn't want Crom- weIl," said Mr. J. Grahame -Bai- lin, the organizer, From each of the 109 houses—. will hang a smaller banner bear- ing the initials "E II R," and each of the six lampposts will bear :t heraldic device and the Royal cipher. Miss 1'. G. nolliman puts fin- ishing touches on a small scale reproduction of Westminster Abbey ,which Is part of a large model of the coronation route. The sentry box in frost( of Buckingham Palace gets a near coat of paint for the *erasion. The stern guardsman did not turn to watch. The hose or England will bloom along the coronation parade route. This huge display new- er is being hung high enough for alt to see on Regent S" "Sta•uliug roans only." Thal is the Way many wilt .view the coronation, tendon lasses seen above sort, applications, stunt from as tar away as Australia flats, in the air will be seen above London lampposts. Seen herr is a White household Cavalry helmet with a trhll- Ins crimen' and white tt3Pama,•. Entine toasts to Her Mitiest!t will be drunk :rem souvenir goblets engraved with the coy - thither. Designer Vi'..1, mon dater a goblet.