威斯敏斯特建筑群与中世纪英王加冕礼

The Westminster Buildings and the Coronation in Medieval England

11世纪以来,威斯敏斯特大教堂和威斯敏斯特宫是英格兰国王举行加冕仪式的重要场地。教堂内的仪式空间赋予了国王在宗教和政治上的神圣性,在威斯敏斯特宫举行的加冕礼晚宴等活动则为仪式涂上浓重的世俗色彩。在英格兰宗教改革时期,为适应宗教教义和仪式行为向国教会转变的需要,大教堂内的圣徒神龛、人物造像等物件多被破坏,礼拜堂的功能等也发生了显著变化。这些变化不仅反映了国家政治生活的连续性,也明确体现出某一历史时期英格兰国家对内、对外政策及社会思潮的转变。仪式空间的变化是中世纪英格兰政治文化演进的重要窗口。

Westminster Abbey and Westminster Hall have been important venues for the coronation of the king of England since the 11 th century. The ritual space within the Abbey played a role in giving the king a religious and political sanctity. Events such as the coronation banquets which were held in Westminster Hall gave the ceremony more secular meaning. During the period of Reformation in England, a lot of shrines, statutes of saints in the Abbey are abused in order to adapt to the transition of the religious doctrines and rituals to the Church of England. The buildings of Westminster as ritual space had undergone various changes in medieval England. These changes not only reflected the continuity of the country's political life, but also clearly reflected in a certain historical period the internal and external policies at the national level and the transition of social thoughts. In this sense, the change of ritual space was an indispensable window to show the evolution of political culture in medieval England.