Sainte-Marguerite church of Westminster-Wikipedia

L’ Sainte-Marguerite church ( St. Margaret’s In English), is an Anglican church located in the grounds of the Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square. It is the parish church of the Palais de Westminster in London. It is dedicated to Marguerite d’Antioche.

Originally founded at XII ^{It is} Century by the Order of Benedictines so that the local population living around the abbey could pray individually, in a simpler and personal parish church, the Sainte-Marguerite church was rebuilt from 1486 to 1523 and was historically part of the Hundred Ossulstone (in) , In the County of Middlesex ^{[ first ]} .

She became the parish church of the Palais de Westminster in 1614, when the Puritans of XVII ^{It is} century, unhappy with the abbey deemed too liturgical, chose to celebrate parliamentary offices in the Sainte-Marguerite church, supposed to be more “appropriate”. Since that time, custom has persisted. The pastor of the Sainte-Marguerite church is a canon of the Westminster Abbey.

The northwest tower was rebuilt by John James from 1734 to 1738; During the same period, the entire building was covered with Portland stone. The two porches located on the east and west sides were later added by John Loughborough Pearson (in) . The interior of the church was considerably restored and transformed by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1877 ^{[ 2 ]} , in order to become what it is currently, although you can still see many characteristics corresponding to the Tudor style.

Commemorative stained glass and burials of eminent characters [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

Among the important characteristics, we find the stained glass is dated 1509, a Flemish stained glass that was created to commemorate the engagement of Catherine d’Aragon with Henri VIII ^{[ 3 ]} . Other stained glass windows commemorate William Caxton, the first British printer, who was buried in this church in 1491, just as Sir Walter Raleigh were in 1618, after being executed at Old Palace Yard ^{[ 4 ]} , the poet John Milton, a parishioner of this church and Admiral Robert Blake. Collector Henry Constantine Jennings (in) Also rests in this place.

Other funerals of eminent characters took place in this place, such as that of John Sutton (3rd Baron Dudley) known as “Lord Quondam”, the September 18, 1553 ; his wife Lady Cicely Gray, the April 18, 1554 ; William Murray, IIE Comte de Tullimbadine, le July 30, 1627 ; Edward Grimeston  (in) , the December 14, 1640 ; and Wenceslas Hollar who died on 25 mars 1677 . You can also add the Bishop Nicholas Clagett (in) .

In 1661, following English catering, the “round heads” which had been buried in the Westminster Abbey (such as Admiral Blake, Denis Bond, Nicholas Boscawen, Mary Bradshaw, Sir William Constable, the Admiral Richard Deane, Isaac Dorislaus (in) , Anne Fleetwood, Thomas Hesilrige, Humphrey Mackworth, Stephen Marshall, Thomas May, John Meldrum, l’amiral Edward Popham  (in) , John Pym, Humphrey Salwey, William Strong and William Twiss) were digested and left the abbey to be buried again in an anonymous pit in the cemetery of the Sainte-Marguerite church, on the orders of King Charles II. Today we can find a monument recalling their memory, on the exterior wall, to the left of the main entrance to the west wing ^{[ 5 ]} .

The church has become a place frequently chosen by people of high society when they marry, as was the case for Samuel Pepys ^{[ 6 ]} , for the former prime ministers Sir Winston Churchill ^{[ 7 ]} and Harold Macmillan and for members belonging to the Bright Young People group ^{[ 8 ]} .

The whole of the Sainte-Marguerite church, the Westminster Palace and the Westminster Abbey is part of the World Heritage. The members of the Parliament, as well as the employees of the Chamber of Lords and the House of Commons, are authorized to marry in this church.

During the First World War, Edward Lytelton, the director of the Eton college, made a sermon in this church on the theme “love his enemies”. He gave his opinion advancing that any treaty elaborated after the war should be fair and not vindictive. After the service, he had to leave the church through a door behind, while a few demonstrators sang Rule, Britannia! As a sign of protest against his attitude ^{[ 9 ]} .

During regular services or certain very special services, choristers meet to sing. The group is made up of 20 boys aged 9 to 13, who make the soprano voice, and many adults who make the other voices. Among the recent special services are the Classic FM concert at the Westminster Central Hall, alongside the Parliament choir, broadcast the December 24, 2011 .

The organs were largely built by the company J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd. The description of these organs appears in the National Pipe Organ Register ^{[ ten ]} .