Ancient objects used to crown a king
LONDON – The ritual of crowning a new king or queen dates back more than 1,000 years. And each of the objects used has its own importance and its own symbolism to seal a bond between the monarch, the people, the church and God.
Here is a guide to what the main elements used in King Charles III Saturday mean:
coronation chair
Also known as St. Edward’s Chair or King Edward’s Chair, this simple seat has played a role in coronations for 700 years. He left Westminster Abbey twice: once in 1657, when Oliver Cromwell was installed as Lord Protector at Westminster Hall during England’s brief republican period, and during World War II, when he was taken to Gloucester Cathedral in the west of England.
Over the years it has been damaged and scribbled on by schoolchildren at the nearby Westminster school and by tourists, one of whom wrote: “P. Abbott slept in this chair on July 5th and 6th, 1800.”
He first featured at the coronation of Edward II in 1308, although there is some debate as to whether he was actually crowned there. Henry IV was, however, definitively crowned there in 1399.
fate stone
The Coronation Chair was built around 1300 to house the Stone of Destiny, also known as the Stone of Scone. The stone, which sits under the chair, is a symbol of the Scottish monarchy and was used for centuries to crown Scottish kings – until it was seized by Edward I, known as the ‘Scottorum malleus” or “Hammer of the Scots”.
The somewhat unremarkable looking 336 pound stone has since been used to crown monarchs of England and later Great Britain. It lay in Westminster Abbey for centuries, until four Scottish students stole it on Christmas Day 1950, sparking a massive manhunt. It appeared three months later on the altar of Arbroath Abbey in the west of Scotland, before being put back under the coronation chair in 1952.
In 1996 then Prime Minister John Major moved it permanently from Westminster to Edinburgh Castle where it still resides until it is used for coronations.
The stone itself is shrouded in mystery. It is made of pinkish sandstone and bears a roughly marked cross. It has iron rings attached to each end, but historians disagree on why.
The name Stone of Scone comes not from the baked treat but from Scone Palace – the historic coronation site of Scottish kings located just outside the city of Perth in central Scotland.
Coronation Spoon
It may not look like much compared to the jewel-encrusted treasure on display elsewhere, but this spoon is the most ancient object and one of the most sacred in the whole ceremony.
This gilt silver spoon is the only surviving piece of the original medieval crown jewels, first recorded as having been used at Westminster Abbey in 1349 when the bubonic plague known as the Black Death was spreading Across the country. Even then, it was called an “antique form”.
Historians disagree about its time of origin, with some claiming it was made for Henry II (1154 to 1189) or Richard I (1189-1199).
The spoon has two indentations suggesting it was made for the archbishop to dip two fingers in holy oil to anoint the sovereign – its exact use since the coronation of Charles II in 1661.
Oliver Cromwell’s Parliament melted down the gold and sold the jewels of the regalia after the English Civil War, but the spoon was sold intact and the owner returned it to Charles II when the monarchy was restored.
the light bulb
This vase in the shape of a golden eagle contains the holy oil that will anoint the king and queen. It is based on a 14th century legend in which the Virgin Mary appeared before Saint Thomas Becket and offered him a golden eagle and a vial of oil to anoint future kings of England.
Becket served as Archbishop of Canterbury in the 12th century and was venerated as a saint after being killed by supporters of Henry II.
Like many other coronation items, it was created for the coronation of Charles II in 1661, when the monarchy was restored under the rule of Cromwell and his Parliament.
The bulb head is removable to fill the bottle, and there is a hole in the spout for pouring oil into the spoon. The anointing is the most sacred part of the coronation ceremony. The Archbishop of Canterbury will mark the sovereign’s head, chest and hands with holy oil in a ritual inspired by the Old Testament story of King Solomon.
coronation oil
The Coronation Oil was created from olives harvested from two monasteries groves on the Mount of Olives – a mountain ridge on the eastern border of the Old City of Jerusalem.
This site has great importance for Christians: the Bible says that Jesus prayed the day before his crucifixion. The olives were picked from the groves of the Monastery of Mary Magdalene and the Monastery of the Ascension and pressed into oil just outside Bethlehem, believed by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus.
The palace said the oil is flavored with sesame, rose, jasmine, cinnamon, neroli (orange blossom oil), benzoin (balsamic tree bark resin), amber and orange blossom.
The oil was declared holy in a special ceremony on March 3 at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem – a holy church located on the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified.
For the first time in a coronation, the sacred oil used to anoint the king and queen will not only be vegetarian, but also vegan.
No one intends to drink it, but the oil traditionally contains ambergris, a rare and very expensive waxy mush found in the intestines of sperm whales, which is used in luxury perfumes to make scents last. . It is illegal to trade ambergris in the US, but not in the UK – nevertheless, the crowning glory will be without the substance also known as “whale vomit”.
fate stone
The Coronation Chair was built around 1300 to house the Stone of Destiny, also known as the Stone of Scone. The stone, which sits under the chair, is a symbol of the Scottish monarchy and was used for centuries to crown Scottish kings – until it was seized by Edward I, known as the ‘Scottorum malleus” or “Hammer of the Scots”.
The somewhat unremarkable looking 336 pound stone has since been used to crown monarchs of England and later Great Britain. It lay in Westminster Abbey for centuries, until four Scottish students stole it on Christmas Day 1950, sparking a massive manhunt. It appeared three months later on the altar of Arbroath Abbey in the west of Scotland, before being put back under the coronation chair in 1952.
In 1996 then Prime Minister John Major moved it permanently from Westminster to Edinburgh Castle where it still resides until it is used for coronations.
The stone itself is shrouded in mystery. It is made of pinkish sandstone and bears a roughly marked cross. It has iron rings attached to each end, but historians disagree on why.
The name Stone of Scone comes not from the baked treat but from Scone Palace – the historic coronation site of Scottish kings located just outside the city of Perth in central Scotland.
Coronation Bible
During the ceremony, the Archbishop of Canterbury will present the King with a specially commissioned King James Bible, which he will lay a hand on while reciting his oath. New monarchs have received a new Bible like this since the joint coronation of William III and Mary II in 1689.
Made by Oxford University Press, the book is hand-bound in leather and decorated with gold leaf. Four copies were made, one of which will be given to Charles.
“The Bible which will be presented to His Majesty the King is a reminder that Scripture is not just at the heart of his coronation responsibilities, but at the heart of Christian life,” the Archbishop of Canterbury said, Justin Welby. in a report.