'Restore us again, O God of our salvation... Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.'
Psalm 85: 4, 7

Have you ever wondered about the origin of the name 'Westminster'? Our church was founded in 960AD and became known as the 'west minster' to distinguish it from St Paul's Cathedral - the 'east minster'.

These images show the Norman Abbey, and how we look today

#LondonHistoryDay

Margaret Beaufort, a lynchpin of the Tudor dynasty, was born #onthisday in 1443.

She was the founder of two Cambridge colleges and Chairs of Divinity at both Oxford and Cambridge, and was the mother of Henry VII.

She is buried in the Abbey's Lady Chapel: westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemor…

'Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty''
John 6: 35

#CorpusChristi

Join us for Eucharist for Corpus Christi here Westminster Abbey today at 5pm. Our Lay Vicars are singing music by Palestrina and Guerrero #eucharist

Join us in the beautiful setting of the Abbey at 7pm on 19 June for a performance of Haydn's masterpiece The Creation.

@WabbeyChoir will be joined by Britten Sinfonia and soprano @sampsoncarolyn as they bring to life this much-loved oratorio.

To book:westminster-abbey.org/abbey-events/c…

Today is the feast of #CorpusChristi , a day of thanksgiving for the institution of Holy Communion.

Everyone is welcome to join us at our services in the Abbey today, including Eucharist sung by @WabbeyChoir at 5:00pm: westminster-abbey.org/worship-music

'The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.'
Mark 10: 45

What a view! Spring skies over London seen from the Abbey roof this afternoon.

Charles II was born #onthisday in 1630.

After the death of Oliver Cromwell, Charles ascended the throne in 1660. His coronation was held in the Abbey in 1661, costing over £12,000, the equivalent of around £1,200,000 in today's money.

Discover more:westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemor…

'It is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, to tell of all your works'
Psalm 73: 28

On Tuesday 16 July, we'll be holding a service of thanksgiving marking the 30th year of South Africa's democracy.

The service, at 12pm, will acknowledge the tireless work of campaigners to bring an end to apartheid, and offer an opportunity to look forward with hope. It is being

George I was born #onthisday in 1660.

By the terms of the Act of Settlement he succeeded his second cousin Queen Anne in August 1714, and was crowned in the Abbey in October that year.

Read more:
westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemor…

'Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead'
1 Peter 1: 3-4

This garden, just off the Abbey's Little Cloister, is set in the ruins of the 12th-century St Catherine's chapel. Important political and religious gatherings were held in the chapel, and it was here in 1267 that Henry III swore on the Gospels to uphold Magna Carta.

King John was crowned in the Abbey #onthisday in 1199.

He succeeded his brother Richard I after he died from an arrow wound. He reportedly displayed 'unseemly levity' during the service, and left before receiving the Sacrament.

westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemor…
westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemor…

'For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.'
John 3: 16-17

'Studded all with gold and pearl'
- Taming of the Shrew

Elizabeth I's magnificent tomb in the Abbey was made by sculptor Maximilian Colt and paid for by James I. Her effigy wears a crown and gilded collar and holds an orb and sceptre.

#ShakespeareSunday #Jewels

‘To put a golden sceptre in thy hand and set a precious crown upon thy head’
- Henry VI, Part I (V, 3)

Made for use at rehearsals for a coronation, our set of replica royal regalia includes copies of St Edward's Crown and the orb and sceptre.

#ShakespeareSunday