Henry VII’s Chapel, Eastern end of Westminster Abbey

            The Henry VII Chapel also known as Henry VII Lady Chapel located on the eastern end of Westminster Abbey whose construction was financed by the will of Henry VII. This chapel is separated from the other abbey using a flight of stairs and brass gates. The structure of this chapel is a three-aisled nave which is made up of four bays. The chapel’s apse has an alter, behind which are the tombs of Henry VII, James I and that of Henry VII’s wife. At the same time the chapel has five apsidal chapels.

            This chapel was constructed using the very late Gothic perpendicular style. This magnificent structure led to John Leland calling it the wonder of the world (orbis miraculum). At the same time, the chapel contains that tombs of Charles II, Mary Queen of Scots, Elizabeth I and Edward VI besides that of Henry VII and his wife and that of James I. Since 1725, this chapel has been serving as the mother church of the Order of the Bath. This can be seen by the presence of the banners of members that hang above the stalls.

            The construction of this chapel is believed to have been influenced by a movement toward the devotion to the Virgin Mary in the 13^th century. This movement aimed at building chapels in honor of Virgin Mary across Europe. One of the chapels constructed for this reason was Henry III’s Lady Chapel located at Westminster Abbey. In 1502, King Henry VII came up with a plan for a new chapel. This plan led to the demolition of the old chapel which subsequently led to the foundation of the new chapel being laid in January 24, 1503(Tatton-Brown & Mortimer, 2004).. Henry VII decided to build a new chapel in order to: build a shrine in honor of the body of Henry VI who was supposed to be canonized, build a sophisticated chapel for Virgin Mary and create a royal mausoleum for him and his entire family including heirs.

            The chapel’s most amazing architectural feature are the pendant fan vault. The fan vault was created through dividing the ceiling to groin vaulted compartments. The groin vaults on the other hand are created through the combination of arches along the chapel’s walls and the large transverse arches that bridge the chapel’s nave. The other spectacular architectural features of this chapel are the aisles that are divided by the rows of mahogany stalls into central, south and north aisles. All the aisles contain floor stones and monuments that are dedicated to the various British nobles (Tatton-Brown & Mortimer, 2004).

References

Tatton-Brown, T. W. T., & Mortimer, R. (2004). Westminster Abbey: The Lady Chapel of Henry               VII. Rochester NY: Boydell Press.