The Historical Influences in the Architectural Design of the Essay

The Historical Influences in the Architectural Design of the Westminster Abbey - Essay ExampleThe exterior is as much remarkable as its interior. The dominant gothic architectural design - its towering pillars, towers and stained glass, takes its patrons and visitors back to the English medieval times. The prestige of Westminster Abbeys architectural design cannot be separated from the historical events that moulded it to its present reputation. From the its foundation as an abbey by King Edward the Confessor in 1052 to its glory days as a gothic church under the initiative of King Henry III in 1245, Westminster Abbey owes its existence to the ghostlike passion of its patrons. Given the context, this paper focuses on the historical events that led to the key developments of what is the Westminster Abbey today. By expounding on the topic, a historical methodology could not only give light to the origins of the church, but it could also yoke historical context with architectural de sign and style. This paper is thus intended to explain Westminster Abbeys rich architectural history. The utilization of secondary sources such as books and journal articles, together with ample photo documentation, are used in order to accomplish this papers purpose. ... It then tackles the entrance of the 12th cytosine and the important contributions of King Henry III to the creation of a magnificent gothic church at Englands capital. The second portion deals with the churchs architecture. An analysis of the exterior and interior aspects of Westminster Abbey is conducted by streamlining the various designs and styles, which produced the outcome. Such analysis is then related to the historical context of the churchs formative days in order to produce a conclusive account of architectural history. The Abbey in its Formative Years in the eleventh and 12th Century The eleventh century was included in the 3-century span of the Central Middle Ages, from 1000-1300, where the disintegra tion of the strong Roman Empire was realized in the early(a) Middle Ages. During that century, a direct by-product of the previous years caused the apparent struggle between the Holy Roman Empire and the Papacy in Rome, not to mention the indecorum instituted by the Eastern Orthodox Church in the Byzantine Empire (Bennett and Hollister, xv & 266). On a political standpoint, it was clear that religious strife that would strand dominance over Europe was as important as the clash of kingdoms and empires. As religious monarchy flourished in the name of the propagation of a certain religious denomination, independent nation states began to emerge as well. England was well underway in line with a monarchical leadership. The sacred monarchy carried by religious kingdoms in the Early Middle Ages evolved into a bureaucratic monarchy in the Central Middle Ages. Royal administration with a systematic distribution of powers was the one that England had adopted in the 11th century (Bennett and Hollister, 266). Though a secular state, the influence of the church