Westminster Abbey: A Thousand Years of History.

Westminster Abbey is currently well known for the coronation of King Charles III in May 2023 and the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022. It was first built in 1060 during the reign of King Edward the Confessor and is about 1,000 years old. The reason why it is called a temple is that abbey means a monastery. Initially built as a Catholic monastery, it was converted into an Anglican cathedral by Henry VIII in the 16th century. Looking at the exterior, it is characterized by a typical Gothic spire, an arched entrance and a flying buttress that supports the outer wall. Because of the flying buttress, it was possible to build it high, even though the wall was relatively thin. The main gate is known as the West Tower. The West Tower was built in 1723 by Nicholas Hawksmoor during the reign of King George II. The entrance has the coat of arms of King George II engraved on it. Above the entrance door, there are statues of the Tenth Martyrs, who were persecuted and died for being Christians during the 20th century. Martin Luther King, who was a black human rights activist in the United States. Bishop Romero, who conducted liberation theology in El Salvador. Maximilian Kolbe, the Catholic priest who sacrificed his life for another inmate at Auschwitz. The statues were built at the Millennium in 1998 to commemorate these martyrs as a sign of unity, regardless of denomination, race or gender. There is a pointed pillar in front of the West Tower, on which there is a scene of Saint George, the patron saint of England, spearing the dragon's neck. And statues of Edward the Confessor, Henry III, Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria are on the four sides, respectively. This pillar serves as a memorial to commemorate the students of Westminster School who died in the war.