in the heart of Westminster Abbey, a 13th-century Gothic gem

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Video length: 2 min.

FRANCEINFO

Article written by

N. Chateauneuf, M. Baudet, T. Lagache, S. Pichavant, B. Blanc – franceinfo

France Televisions

On Saturday May 6, the coronation of King Charles III will take place in Westminster Abbey, London, UK. A majestic building visited every year by more than a million people.

Right next to Big Ben in central London is Westminster Abbey, a 13th-century Gothic gem, visited by over a million people every year. Inside the building, there is a majestic nave, 10 meters wide and 31 meters high, slightly less than Notre-Dame de Paris. The abbey is also a royal necropolis, which houses the tombs of seventeen monarchs, including Edward III or Henry V. In all, nearly 3,300 people are buried in Westminster, including an unknown soldier who died during the First World War and many British personalities like Newton or Darwin. The place is somewhat the equivalent of the French Pantheon.

An oak throne

This is finally where the British monarchs are crowned. Charles III, like all those before him, will take place in the church sanctuary. It is in the spiritual heart that his coronation chair will be installed. This oak throne was commissioned by King Edward I over 700 years ago. It is on this chair that Charles III will hear the crowd sing God Save The King for the first time.


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