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Lost medieval chapel sheds light on royal burials at Westminster Abbey, finds new study on 15th-century reconstruction
Phys dot org ^ | November 30, 2022 | Taylor & Francis

Posted on 12/10/2022 4:46:43 AM PST by SunkenCiv

New evidence, helping to form a 15th-century reconstruction of part of Westminster Abbey, demonstrates how a section of the building was once the focus for the royal family's devotion to the cult of a disemboweled saint and likely contained gruesome images of his martyrdom...

Today, only an intricate frame remains from the lost chapel of St. Erasmus. It was demolished in 1502 and little has been known about its role historically...

In the end, Elizabeth's last resting place was next to her beloved husband in Windsor in St. George's Chapel, which Edward IV had begun in 1475. Future monarchs have also been buried in St. George's, including Elizabeth II after her funeral this year at the Abbey...

Commissioned by Elizabeth, Edward IV's commoner wife and Henry VIII's grandmother, St. Erasmus's chapel was demolished in 1502. Visitors to Westminster Abbey can still view what remains, by looking above the entrance to the chapel of Our Lady of the Pew in the north ambulatory. What does remain is an intricately carved frame, sculpted out of the mineral alabaster. This frame would have surrounded a reredos, which is the imagery that forms the backdrop to the altar...

The study presents further evidence that the reredos was created by an outsider to the Abbey's design tradition. Architect Robert Stowell, the Abbey's master mason, probably designed the chapel itself and may have helped salvage the chapel's most ornate pieces when it was knocked down after less than 25 years.

This was on Henry VII's orders to make way for his own and his wife's chantry and burial place. The Lady Chapel that replaced it features a statue of St. Erasmus, which the authors say may be a nod to Elizabeth Woodville's now long-forgotten chapel.

(Excerpt) Read more at phys.org ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: edwardiv; elizabethwoodville; godsgravesglyphs; henryvii; renaissance; robertstowell; sterasmus; westminsterabbey
How the east end of the Abbey church and its furnishes may have looked – crafted by illustrator Stephen Conlin, based on evidence from the study.
Credit: Stephen Conlin
Credit: Stephen Conlin

1 posted on 12/10/2022 4:46:43 AM PST by SunkenCiv
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To: 240B; 75thOVI; Adder; albertp; asgardshill; At the Window; bitt; blu; BradyLS; cajungirl; ...
The other GGG topics added since the previous digest ping, chrono sort:

2 posted on 12/10/2022 4:55:07 AM PST by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: SunkenCiv

That’s beautiful.


3 posted on 12/10/2022 4:59:37 AM PST by Ciexyz (Prayers for America.)
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To: SunkenCiv
St. Erasmus was responsible for child well-being as well as being the patron saint of sailors and abdominal pain.

St. Erasmus of Formia, Bishop and martyr, is also known as St. Elmo.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erasmus_of_Formia

4 posted on 12/10/2022 5:00:25 AM PST by Tax-chick (Nature, art, silence, simplicity, peace. And fungi.)
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To: SunkenCiv

Lots of reading for the weekend. Chores be damned.


5 posted on 12/10/2022 5:01:10 AM PST by ComputerGuy (Heavily-medicated for your protection)
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6 posted on 12/10/2022 6:47:25 AM PST by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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[snip] In the end, Elizabeth’s last resting place was next to her beloved husband in Windsor in St. George’s Chapel, which Edward IV had begun in 1475. Future monarchs have also been buried in St. George’s, including Elizabeth II after her funeral this year at the Abbey... [/snip]

Edward V of England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_V_of_England#Disappearance

[snip] Bones belonging to two children were discovered in 1674 by workmen rebuilding a stairway in the Tower. On the orders of King Charles II, these were subsequently placed in Westminster Abbey, in an urn bearing the names of Edward and Richard.[16] The bones were re-examined in 1933, at which time it was discovered the skeletons were incomplete and had been interred with animal bones. It has never been proven that the bones belonged to the princes, and it is possible that they were buried before the reconstruction of that part of the Tower of London.[17] Permission for a subsequent examination has been refused.

In 1789, workmen carrying out repairs in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, rediscovered and accidentally broke into the vault of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. Adjoining this was another vault, which was found to contain the coffins of two children. This tomb was inscribed with the names of two of Edward IV’s children who had predeceased him: George, Duke of Bedford, and Mary. However, the remains of these two children were later found elsewhere in the chapel, leaving the occupants of the children’s coffins within the tomb unknown.[18]

18. 1. Chapter Records XXIII to XXVI, The Chapter Library, St. George’s Chapel, Windsor (Permission required) 2. William St. John Hope, Windsor Castle: An Architectural History, pages 418–419. (1913). 3. Vetusta Monumenta, Volume III, page 4 (1789). [/snip]

Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_of_Shrewsbury,_Duke_of_York#Possible_fate

[snip] Bones reportedly belonging to two children were discovered in 1674 by workmen rebuilding a stairway in the Tower. On the orders of King Charles II, these were subsequently placed in Westminster Abbey, in an urn bearing the names of Edward and Richard.[5]

The bones were re-examined in 1933 at which time it was discovered the skeletons were incomplete and had been interred with animal bones. It has never been proven that the bones belonged to the princes.

In 1789, workmen carrying out repairs in St George’s Chapel, Windsor, rediscovered and accidentally broke into the vault of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. Adjoining this was another vault, which was found to contain the coffins of two children. This tomb was inscribed with the names of two of Edward IV’s children: George, Duke of Bedford, who had died at the age of two; and Mary of York who had died at the age of 14. Both had predeceased the King. However, the remains of these two children were later found elsewhere in the chapel, leaving the occupants of the children’s coffins within the tomb unknown. [7][8]

7. Chapter Records XXIII to XXVI, The Chapter Library, St. George’s Chapel, Windsor (Permission required)

8. William St. John Hope: “Windsor Castle: An Architectural History”, pages 418–419. (1913). 3..Vetusta Monumenta, Volume III, p. 4 (1789). [/snip]


7 posted on 01/24/2023 7:53:12 AM PST by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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