** Church of England Buildings' Significant History **

by FlyingHighNow 20 Replies latest jw friends

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  FlyingHighNow

  I was raised Episcopalian. Thus I am quite fascinated with my roots in The Church of England, who in turn has its roots in the Roman Catholic Church. Many of the church buildings and cathedrals that exist in England today date back to the first millenium after Christ and thus were Roman Catholic at the time they were built. Later the buildings were occupied by the same bishops and priests, but would be Catholic under a king and then Church of England under a queen or king and then back to Catholic under the next monarch. That is until Queen Elizabeth I designed the Via Media: latin for middle way or road, to stop the bloodshed in England over the struggle for control of the church. Via Media incorporated the best of the Roman Church with the best of the Protestant Reformation.

  Architecturally and historically, these buildings hold a fascination for members and non members alike. I find the whole history interesting, but then that's me. I knew JW's who visited Westminster Abbey.

  I'd love to hear from those of you that live in the British Isles about your local church buildings. Are they new? Do they date far back into your town's history? Are they oldest buildings in your towns?

  http://www.cofe.anglican.org/about/builtheritage/
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  FlyingHighNow

  Westminster Abbey amazing history:

  http://www.westminster-abbey.org/

  History & Research

  
  Westminster Abbey Library

  Westminster Abbey is steeped in more than a thousand years of history. Benedictine monks first came to this site in the middle of the tenth century, establishing a tradition of daily worship which continues to this day.

  The Abbey has been the coronation church since 1066 and is the final resting place of seventeen monarchs.

  The present church, begun by Henry III in 1245, is one of the most important Gothic buildings in the country, with the medieval shrine of an Anglo-Saxon saint still at its heart.

  A treasure house of paintings, stained glass, pavements, textiles and other artefacts, Westminster Abbey is also the place where some of the most significant people in the nation’s history are buried or commemorated. Taken as a whole the tombs and memorials comprise the most significant single collection of monumental sculpture anywhere in the United Kingdom.

  The Library and Muniment Room houses the important (and growing) collections of archives, printed books and manuscripts belonging to the Dean and Chapter of Westminster, providing a centre for their study and for research into all aspects of the Abbey’s long and varied history.

  A Brief History
  
  Abbots and Deans of Westminster
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  BurnTheShips

  FHN, you should read and will enjoy:

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pillars_of_the_Earth

  BTS
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  FlyingHighNow

  Thank you, BTS. I shall. Did you ever imagine that you and I would agree on something like Catholicism?
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  FlyingHighNow

  Oh hey, BTS. Isn't that the book Oprah read with her bookclub? Thank you for reminding me.

  I got to visit the National Cathedral in Washington DC in 1973. There was still a lot of major construction going on then. You should all visit it if you are in the city. It's owned by the Episcopal Church of the America's.
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  BurnTheShips

  Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

  I am not going to say which one of us is the clock.

  I'd love to go to Europe and tour the old churches and cathedrals.

  BTS
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  FlyingHighNow

  Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

  I am not going to say which one of us is the clock.

  I'd love to go to Europe and tour the old churches and cathedrals.

  BTS

  I'd say we are both broken clocks. I'd love to do the same thing, Burn. My mother's mom was presbyterian. She went to the Vatican along with Grand dad. He was one who read and studied eastern religions and used to get us up at 5 AM to do yoga and look through our third eye. But they visited Vatican City and she brought home things blessed by the Pope. She gave me a rosary.
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  FlyingHighNow

  bttt
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  llbh

  Hi FHN

  I have been in a few old (!8th - 19th C ) Churches and they are very atmospheric particularly when they have an organ . There are a lot of old Churches here .

  david
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  FlyingHighNow

  I envy you, David, to be there with so much history. St. Mark's in Grand Rapids dates back to 1848. When you walk up the marble steps to the altar for communion, you can almost hear the swish of the petticoats of the women and click of the boothills of members long dead. A few of the members say they can feel the "communion of saints" with past members during communion: that it's almost palpable in the air.

  They remodeled the sacristy in the past couple of years and discovered, above a door behind the sanctuary altar, the word Silence in gold leaf letters. "Silence is golden." is what I think everytime I see it.

  Speaking of organ, the huge pipe organ at St. Mark's was built by a father and son team from England. This was in recent years. I actually met them when they came in for a late breakfast at the restaurant/giftshop I worked for. They had been out late, tied one on and were having breakfast at 2 PM. I had never been to St. Mark's at the time. It was interesting to see their craftsmanship finally.