Editing Westminster Abbey (section)

=== Henry VII Chapel ===
{{Main|Henry VII Chapel}}

{{external media|width=210px|float=right|headerimage=[[File:Ceiling of Henry VII Chapel.jpg|210px]]|title=External video|video1=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCKzhNQISZo&embeds_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fsmarthistory.org%2F&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&feature=emb_title&ab_channel=Smarthistory Henry VII Chapel], [[Smarthistory]]<ref name="smarth">{{Cite web |title=Henry VII Chapel |publisher=[[Smarthistory]] |url=https://smarthistory.org/henry-vii-chapel/ |access-date=5 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929023204/https://smarthistory.org/henry-vii-chapel/ |archive-date=29 September 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>}}

The Henry VII Lady Chapel, also known simply as the Henry VII Chapel, is a large [[lady chapel]] at the far eastern end of the abbey which was paid for by the will of King Henry VII.{{sfn|Trowles|2008|p=126}} The chapel, built in late [[Perpendicular Gothic]] style, inspired English poet [[John Leland (antiquary)|John Leland]] to call it the ''orbis miraculum'' (the wonder of the world).{{sfn|Jenkyns|2004|pp=48–53}} The tombs of several monarchs, including [[Edward V of England|Edward V]], Henry VII, [[Edward VI]], Mary I, Elizabeth I, [[James I of England|James I]], [[Charles II of England|Charles II]], George II and [[Mary, Queen of Scots]], are in the chapel.{{sfn|Lindley|2003|p=208}}

It is noted for its [[Pendant vault|pendant-]] and [[fan vault]]-style ceiling, probably designed by [[William Vertue]], which writer [[Washington Irving]] said was "achieved with the wonderful minuteness and airy security of a cobweb". The ceiling is not a true fan vault, but a [[groin vault]] disguised as a fan vault.{{sfn|Pevsner|1973|p=418}} The interior walls are densely decorated with carvings, including 95 statues of saints. Many statues of saints in England were destroyed in the 17th century, so these are rare survivors.{{sfn|Wilkinson|2013|p=22}} Like much of the rest of the medieval building, they would originally have been painted and gilded.{{sfn|Pevsner|1973|p=417}} From outside, The chapel walls are supported from outside by flying buttresses, each in the form of a polygonal tower topped with a [[cupola]]. At the centre of the chapel is the tomb of Henry VII and his wife, Elizabeth of York, which was sculpted by [[Pietro Torrigiano]]{{sfn|Jenkyns|2004|pp=48–53}} (who fled to England from Italy after breaking [[Michelangelo|Michaelangelo]]'s nose in a fight).{{sfn|Wilkinson|2013|p=22}}

The chapel has sub-chapels radiating from the main structure. One, to the north, contains the tombs of Mary I and Elizabeth I; both coffins are in Elizabeth's monument. Another, to the south, contains the tomb of Mary, Queen of Scots. Both monuments were commissioned by James I, Elizabeth's successor to the English throne and Mary's son.{{sfn|Jenkyns|2004|pp=60–61}} At the far eastern end is the [[RAF Chapel]], with a stained-glass window dedicated to those who died in the 1940 [[Battle of Britain]].{{sfn|Wilkinson|2013|p=22}} The RAF Chapel was the original burial site of [[Oliver Cromwell]] in 1658. Cromwell was disinterred in 1661, after the [[Stuart Restoration]], when his body was hanged in chains on the gallows at [[Tyburn]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.guidelondon.org.uk/blog/around-london/westminster-abbey-burials/|title = Westminster Abbey Burials – Famous People Buried Among Kings At Westminster Abbey| date=10 August 2021 }}</ref>

The chapel has been the [[mother church]] of the [[Order of the Bath]] since 1725, and the banners of its members hang above the stalls.{{sfn|Trowles|2008|p=127}} The stalls retain their medieval [[misericord]]s: small ledges for monks to perch on during services, often decorated with varied and humorous carvings.{{sfn|Wilkinson|2013|p=25}}
{{Wide image|Henry VII's Lady Chapel Ceiling - Panorama, Westminster Abbey, England, July 20, 2023.jpg|700px|[[Henry VII Chapel|The Lady Chapel's]] fan vault and pendant vault ceiling}}