The Chapel containing the shrine of St. Edward the Confessor,
lies east of the Sanctuary at the heart of the Abbey. It is
closed off from the west by a stone screen, probably of 15th
century date, carved with scenes from the
Confessor's life.
Work is in progress to conserve the floor of this chapel and
during this time public access is restricted.
An earlier shrine had been erected in 1163, after the
Confessor had been canonised. When
Henry III rebuilt
Edward's Abbey he prepared a new shrine, bringing workmen from
Italy. Peter the Roman was the chief artist. On 13 October 1269
the body was brought in solemn procession to its new resting
place. The shrine seen today is only a shadow of its former self.
It originally had three parts: a stone base decorated with
Cosmati work, a gold feretory containing the saint's coffin, and
a canopy above it, which could be raised to reveal the feretory
or lowered to cover it. The shrine was decorated with gold images
of kings and saints. Many sick people came to the shrine to pray
for a cure and the steps in the recesses of the shrine base are
worn away by the knees of pilgrims (the illustration shown is by
David Gentleman). At the Reformation the shrine was dismantled
and stored by the monks, although the gold feretory was taken
away. The Confessor's body was buried in another part of the
Abbey. In the reign of Mary I the shrine was rebuilt. The Purbeck
marble base was re-assembled but little care was taken to match
the carvings and designs which decorated it. In absence of a
feretory the coffin was placed in a hollow in the top part of the
stone base, where it still remains. The wooden canopy has been
restored and re-painted.
Around the shrine are the tombs of:
Henry III
Edward I
Eleanor of Castile
Edward III
Philippa of Hainault
Richard II with his queen Anne of Bohemia.
To the east, under his chantry chapel,
lies
Henry V. There are
two small tombs to Margaret, daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth,
daughter of
Henry VII. A
brass on the floor covers the grave of John of Waltham, Bishop of
Salisbury.
The chapel has a Cosmati floor, similar to that in front of
the
High Altar. The present altar dates
from 1902. For many centuries the
Coronation Chair was
housed in this chapel but is now located just outside, near the
Lady Chapel steps.
The Chapel of
St. Edward the
Confessor (King 1042-1066)