Westminster Abbey, religious hybrid

Parliament, Big Ben,
Westminster Abbey from the London Eye

Unlike the United States, Europe is dotted with lots of religious hybrids. It's not land or the area or the region but the building itself. Westminster Abbey is a wonderful example. This isn't just a English anomaly; you can find these hybrids in Spain down in the south where the Christian monarchs Ferdinand and Isabel conquered the Moors. Granada's Alahmabra, which wasn't physically altered too much but was used as the headquarters to rule the south (and the newly discovered American colonies). In Cordoba, the Mezquita was partially converted into a cathedral. When you walk through, you go from mosque arches to cathedral splendor.

Westminster Abbey from the side street entrance,
closer to the monks' side
Westminster's changes are not nearly as dramatic as those in Spain. The Abbey is really no longer an abbey since the monastery that was there in the 16^th century has been abolished. The Abbey spent six centuries as a Catholic center before being changed into an Anglican church. There are still parts of the original monastery that was built by Edward the Confessor. When Henry VIII implemented the Reformation, they used many parts of the old Catholic church, like the choirs, pulpit and such. What I think is really interesting, and is so foreign to us Americans, is this concept that the church is naturally tied to the monarchy and therefore the government. Westminster has changed over the mast 11 centuries that it has existed but its ability to be a symbol of a connection between government and people has not.

Front of Westminster Abbey
Religion seems like it has much more of a dynamic position in Europe, especially England, than the States. They buried an unknown soldier from the WWI in the entrance of this church as away for the country to show its appreciation for the thousands that lost their lives. Its obviously a religious gesture, but its also a societal and cultural one.I found my experience at Westminster very moving... which is odd for me since I have visited lots of churches on my travels and I'm not religious at all.