Filed under: Wedding Ceremony

Photo illustration: MCT

On Friday, Prince William and Kate Middleton will say their "I do's" in Westminster Abbey. But this historical site is more than just a church. Royal Wedding for Dummies by Julian Knight gives us the lowdown on this extraordinary venue. Read an excerpt:

Understanding the Importance of Westminster Abbey
Located a stone's throw from the Houses of Parliament and a short walk from Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street -- the residence of the Prime Minister -- the borough of Westminster is quite literally at the centre of political and royal life in the UK.

Westminster Abbey is a massive building catering to hundreds of thousands of visitors each year; it's also a fully working church with its very own choir. The person who ensures that the magnificent building is kept in tip-top condition is the Dean of Westminster, who's appointed by the reigning monarch.

Plans call for the current Dean of Westminster, the Very Rev. John Hall, to play a prominent role on 29 April when he conducts the service. The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London also have key roles to play.

Over the centuries Westminster Abbey has become a touchstone for British public life. Here are just some of the important ceremonies that the Abbey hosts:
Burials of very famous people, including kings and queens. Weddings of members of the royal family. Coronations of new monarchs.
What's in a name?
Westminster Abbey isn't called Westminster Abbey at all, no not a bit of it. Officially its name is the Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is quite a mouthful. So over the years the building became popularly known as Westminster Abbey for the very good reason that it's slap bang in the middle of Westminster and was originally an abbey.

Technically speaking, today the Abbey is a 'Royal Peculiar', which means that it falls under the jurisdiction of the monarch and not a bishop or archbishop, although for a short period (1540-1550) it did have the status of a cathedral (Henry VIII wanted a reason for it to avoid the destruction that so many other abbeys suffered during this period).

Marrying royals
No royal weddings were held at Westminster Abbey between 1382 and 1919 -- with royals
preferring to get hitched elsewhere -- but in the 20th century the Abbey came back into vogue as venue for the royal big day!

The late King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II tied the knot with their respective partners at the Abbey. Later, Princess Margaret (the Queen's now deceased sister), Anne, Princess Royal, and Prince Andrew, Duke of York, were married to their spouses there too.

Now William and Kate take their chance to have the happiest day of their lives at this magnificent building.

Prince William said that he and Kate chose Westminster Abbey because of its associations
with his mother -- who had her memorial service there -- as well as what he called its 'staggering beauty' and 'feeling of a parish church'.

Looking at the Abbey's interior
Westminster Abbey wasn't just designed as a church -- somewhere to perform daily services, weddings and burials -- as an abbey it was a living institution and place of learning for the monks.

For the wedding, William, Kate and their guests will enter through the Great West door into the
giant nave of the church. If they look to their right they may see the Cloisters, which used to house the monks and abbots of the medieval Abbey. In the centre of the Cloisters is the Garth, an oasis of green. Beyond are other gardens and the smaller St Catherine's Cloister.

Farther into the Abbey are the stalls for the choir. On the right is Poet's Corner with its memorials to great writers and on the opposite side is the Great North door exit.

In the centre of this space is the shrine of Edward the Confessor and the sacrarium (sanctuary), which is where the high altar sits and ceremonies are performed. This area is very much the heart of the Abbey and where William and Kate will stand to be wed.

Behind this, at the back of the church and usually bathed in light shining through the Abbey's historic and beautiful stained glass, is Henry VII's Lady Chapel.

Gazing at the treasures of the Abbey
The happy couple may not get time to appreciate them on their big day, but the Abbey contains a plethora of fine historic and artistic treasures. Here are some of the highlights:

The organ. Originally built in 1727 and rebuilt four times since then, the Abbey's showpiece instrument is considered one of the finest in the country and will be played on William and Kate's special day. The shrine. By the sanctuary, the shrine contains the remains of several kings; nearby is the coronation throne of Edward III, which I describe in more detail in the earlier section The Lady Chapel. Containing the statues of no less than 95 saints, the chapel was built by Henry VII and is considered a great example of late medieval architecture. The Lady Chapel contains the tomb of Elizabeth I. The Chapter House. Containing sculptures and paintings depicting the Apocalypse and the Last Judgement, as well as the oldest door in Britain dating back to the 1050s, the Chapter House is where the monks used to pray and read from the Scriptures and other religious texts.
Excerpt from Royal Weddings For Dummies(R), published by Wiley.

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