Editing Westminster Abbey (section)

== Artworks and treasures ==
The nave and transepts have sixteen crystal chandeliers made of hand-blown [[Waterford Crystal|Waterford glass]]. Designed by A. B. Read and Stephen Dykes Bower, they were donated by the [[Guinness family]] in 1965 to commemorate the abbey's 900th anniversary.{{sfn|Trowles|2008|p=120}} The choir stalls were designed by Edward Blore in 1848.{{sfn|Trowles|2008|p=31}} Some stalls are assigned to [[High commissioner (Commonwealth)|high commissioners]] of countries in the [[Commonwealth of Nations]].{{sfn|Carr|1999||p=21}}

Beyond the crossing to the west is the sacrarium, which contains the high altar. The abbey has the 13th-century [[Westminster Retable]], thought to be the altarpiece from Henry III's 13th-century church and the earliest surviving English [[panel painting]] altatrpiece, in its collections.{{sfn|Wilkinson|Knighton|2010|p=15}}{{sfn|Binski|Clark|p=81|2019}} The present high altar and screen were designed by George Gilbert Scott between 1867 and 1873, with sculptures of [[Moses]], [[St Peter]], [[Paul the Apostle|St Paul]], and [[David|King David]] by [[Henry Hugh Armstead|H. H. Armistead]], as well as a mosaic of the [[Last Supper]] by J. R. Clayton and [[Antonio Salviati]].{{sfn|Trowles|2008|p=23}}

The south transept contains wall paintings made {{circa|1300}}, which Richard Jenkyns calls "the grandest of their time remaining in England".{{sfn|Jenkyns|2004|p=35}} Depicting [[Thomas the Apostle]] looking at Christ's [[Five Holy Wounds|wounds]] and [[St Christopher]] carrying the [[Christ Child]], the paintings were discovered in 1934 behind two monuments.{{sfn|Trowles|2008|p=96}} Fourteenth-century paintings are on the backs of the ''[[sedilia]]'' (seats used by priests on either side of the high altar). On the south side are three figures: Edward the Confessor, the [[Gabriel|angel Gabriel]], and the Virgin Mary. On the north side are two kings (possibly Henry III and Edward I) surrounding a religious figure, possibly St Peter.{{sfn|Trowles|2008|pp=|p=29}}{{sfn|Wilkinson|2013|p=9}} They were walled off during the [[Commonwealth of England|Commonwealth period]] by order of Parliament, and were later rediscovered.{{sfn|Wilkinson|2013|p=9}}

Over the Great West Door are ten statues of 20th-century Christian martyrs of various denominations; the statues were sculpted by the abbey's craftsmen in 1998.{{sfn|Jenkyns|2004|p=149}} Those commemorated are [[Maximilian Kolbe]], [[Manche Masemola]], [[Janani Luwum]], [[Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine|Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna]], [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], [[Óscar Romero]], [[Dietrich Bonhoeffer]], [[Esther John]], [[Lucian Tapiedi]], and [[Wang Zhiming (pastor)|Wang Zhiming]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Heller |first=Jenny E. |date=22 September 1998 |title=Westminster Abbey Elevates 10 Foreigners |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9407E6DF1030F931A1575AC0A96E958260 |url-status=live |access-date=21 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819111136/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9407E6DF1030F931A1575AC0A96E958260 |archive-date=19 August 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Streeter |first=Michael |date=17 October 1997 |title=Heritage: Westminster Abbey prepares modern martyrs' corner |newspaper=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/heritage-westminster-abbey-prepares-modern-martyrs-corner-1236492.html |url-status=live |access-date=21 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820055329/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/heritage-westminster-abbey-prepares-modern-martyrs-corner-1236492.html |archive-date=20 August 2016}}</ref>

From the chapter house is a doorway leading to the abbey's library, which was built as a dormitory for the monks and has been used as a library since the 16th century. The collection has about 16,000 volumes. Next to the library is the Muniment Room, where the abbey's historic archives are kept.{{sfn|Trowles|2008|p=154}}

{{Multiple image
| image1            = Choir Westminster Abbey London England.jpg
| caption1          = The abbey choir, with stalls designed by [[Edward Blore]]
| image2            = Frescos in main church Westminster Abbey London England.jpg
| caption2          = Medieval wall paintings in the south transept, depicting [[Thomas the Apostle|St Thomas]] and [[St Christopher]]
| image3            = Edward I - Westminster Abbey Sedilia.jpg
| caption3          = A painting of a king on the abbey [[sedilia]], possibly Edward I
| image4            = London UK Sculptures-at-Westminister-Abbey-Westgate-01.jpg
| caption4          = Statues of 20th-century martyrs above the west door
| align             = center
| image5            = Westminster Abbey - 51370499985.jpg
| caption5          = The high altar and altar screen, designed by George Gilbert Scott
| total_width       = 900
| alt1              = A long corridor with rows of gilded wooden stalls either side, facing each other
| alt2              = A wall with two paintings: one of two figures on a red background, and one of two figures on a green background
| alt3              = A man in medieval dress, wearing a crown and holding a sceptre
| alt4              = Statues of ten people in niches over a door
| alt5              = A golden altar and screen in the centre of a grey stone church
}}

=== Cosmati pavement ===
[[File:Cosmati pavement by high altar, Westminster Abbey 02.jpg|thumb|The Cosmati pavement|alt=The Cosmati pavement: an elaborately-patterned floor with geometric designs with small red, brown, black and gold tiles]]

At the crossing in front of Edward the Confessor's shrine and the main altar is the Cosmati pavement, a 700-year-old tile floor made of almost 30,000 pieces of coloured glass and stone.{{sfn|Trowles|2008||pp=27–28}} Measuring almost 25 feet square,{{sfn|Trowles|2008||pp=27–28}} coronations take place here.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Grierson |first=Jamie |date=24 March 2023 |title=Public invited to walk on Westminster Abbey's Cosmati pavement – in socks |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/mar/24/public-invited-to-walk-on-westminster-abbeys-cosmati-pavement-in-socks |access-date=24 April 2023 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

The floor is named after the [[Cosmati]] family in Rome, who were known for such work.{{sfn|Wilkinson|Knighton|2010|pp=17–18}} It was commissioned by [[Richard of Ware|Richard Ware]], who travelled to Rome in 1258, when he became abbot, and returned with stone and artists. The [[Porphyry (geology)|porphyry]] used was originally quarried as far away as Egypt, and was presumably brought to Italy during the [[Roman Empire]]. It was surrounded by a Latin inscription in brass letters (since lost) identifying the artist as Odericus,{{sfn|Jenkyns|2004|pp=36–39}} probably referring to designer Pietro di Oderisio or his son.{{sfn|Trowles|2008|p=16}} The inscription also predicted the end of the world 19,863 years after its creation.{{sfn|Wilkinson|2013|p=7}} Unlike traditional mosaic work, the pieces were not cut to a uniform size but made using a technique known as ''[[opus sectile]]'' ("cut work").{{sfn|Trowles|2008|pp=27–28}} It is unique among Cosmati floors in Europe for the use of dark Purbeck-marble trays, forming bold borders, instead of the more typical white marble.{{sfn|Trowles|2008|pp=27–28}} The pavement influenced later floor treatments at [[St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle]], and [[Canterbury Cathedral]].{{sfn|Fawcett|1998|p=53}}

Geometric designs, such as those in the pavement, were thought to help the abbey's monks with contemplation, and conveyed medieval Christian ideas on the nature of the universe that could not easily be put into words.{{Sfn|Foster|1991|p=4}} Much of the design relies on the geometric [[Quadrature (geometry)|doubling of the square]], considered a trade secret by stonemasons.{{Sfn|Foster|1991|pp=116–118}} The four-sided squares, four-fold symmetry, and the four inner [[roundel]]s of the design represent the [[Classical element|four elements]] of classical philosophy, with the central roundel representing the unformed state of the universe at its creation.{{Sfn|Foster|1991|pp=152–154}} Each inner roundel is touched by two bands, which represent the shared qualities of each element; water and air were both considered "moist" in classical philosophy, and air and fire were both considered "hot".{{Sfn|Foster|1991|p=155}}

=== Stained glass ===
[[File:Rose Window, Westminster Abbey, England, July 20, 2023.jpg|thumb|The rose window in the north transept depicts Christ and the Apostles]]
[[File:Westminster Abbey - 51370500850.jpg|thumb|The Queen's Window, designed by [[David Hockney]]|alt=A stained-glass window in bright primary colours depicting a path in the countryside with trees and plants on either side]]

The abbey's 13th-century windows would have been filled with [[stained glass]], but much of this was destroyed in the [[English Civil War]] and [[the Blitz]] and was replaced with clear, plain glass. Since the 19th century, new stained glass, designed by artists such as [[Ninian Comper]] (on the north side of the nave) and [[Hugh Ray Easton|Hugh Easton]] and Alan Younger (in the Henry VII Chapel), has replaced clear glass.{{sfn|Jenkyns|2004|p=148}}

The north rose window was designed by [[James Thornhill]] and made by Joshua Price in 1722; it shows Christ, the apostles (without [[Judas Iscariot]]), the [[Four Evangelists]], and, in the centre, the Bible. The window was restored by J. L. Pearson in the 19th century, during which the feet of the figures were cut off.{{sfn|Reynolds|2002|p=4}} Thornhill also designed the great west window, which shows the Biblical figures of [[Abraham]], [[Isaac]], and [[Jacob]], as well as representatives of the [[Twelve Tribes of Israel]] underneath.{{sfn|Reynolds|2002|p=24}}

In the Henry VII Chapel, the west window was designed by John Lawson and unveiled in 1995. It depicts coats of arms and cyphers of Westminster Abbey's benefactors, particularly [[John Templeton]] (whose coat of arms is prominent in the lower panel). In the centre are the arms of Elizabeth II. The central east window, designed by Alan Younger and dedicated to the Virgin Mary, was unveiled in 2000. It depicts [[Comet Hale–Bopp]], which was passing over the artist's house at the time, as the [[star of Bethlehem]]. The donors of the window, [[Philip Harris, Baron Harris of Peckham|Lord and Lady Harris of Peckham]], are shown kneeling at the bottom.{{sfn|Reynolds|2002|p=10}}

In 2018, artist [[David Hockney]] unveiled a new stained-glass window for the north transept to celebrate the reign of [[Elizabeth II]]. It shows a country scene inspired by his native [[Yorkshire]], with [[Crataegus|hawthorn]] blossoms and blue skies. Hockney used an iPad to design the window, replicating the backlight that comes through stained glass.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Mark |date=26 September 2018 |title=David Hockney unveils iPad-designed window at Westminster Abbey |url=http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/sep/26/david-hockney-unveils-ipad-designed-queens-window-westminster-abbey |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124143123/https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/sep/26/david-hockney-unveils-ipad-designed-queens-window-westminster-abbey |archive-date=24 January 2023 |access-date=24 January 2023 |website=The Guardian |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries<span class="anchor" id="The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries"></span> ===
[[File:Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries, London, July 20, 2023.jpg|thumb|Treasures in the Jubilee Galleries]]
The [[Westminster Abbey Museum]] was located in the 11th-century vaulted [[undercroft]] beneath the former monks' dormitory. This is one of the oldest areas of the abbey, dating almost to the foundation of the church by Edward the Confessor in 1065. This space had been used as a museum since 1908,{{sfn|Trowles|2008|p=156}} but was closed to the public when it was replaced as a museum in June 2018 by the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries (high in the abbey's [[triforium]] and accessed through the Weston Tower, which encloses a lift and stairs).<ref name="gallery" />

The exhibits include a set of life-size [[Effigy|effigies]] of English and British monarchs and their consorts, originally made to lie on the coffin in the funeral procession or to be displayed over the tomb. The effigies date from the 14th to the 18th centuries, and some include original clothes.{{sfn|Wilkinson|Knighton|2010|pp=51–52}}

On display in the galleries is ''[[The Coronation Theatre: Portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II|The Coronation Theatre, Westminster Abbey: A Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II]]'', a portrait by [[Ralph Heimans]] of the queen standing on the Cosmati pavement where she was crowned in 1953.<ref>{{Cite news |date=29 September 2012 |title=Queen portrait unveiled in Australia |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-19772877 |access-date=23 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325015459/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-19772877 |archive-date=2019-03-25}}</ref> Other exhibits include a model of an unbuilt tower designed by [[Christopher Wren]]; a paper model of the abbey as it was for [[Coronation of Queen Victoria|Queen Victoria's 1837 coronation]]; and the wedding licence of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, who were married in the abbey in 2011.<ref name="Wainwright-2018" />