Reputed tomb of King Harold II under the site of the High Altar
This image shows the reputed tomb of King Harold II under the site of the High Altar in Waltham Abbey Church. Harold stopped to pray at Waltham on his way from the Battle of Stamford Bridge to fight William of Normandy; the battle-cry of the English troops at Hastings was "Holy Cross". According to Gesta Guillelmi, an account of the battle written by William of Poitiers in the 1070s, Harold's body was handed over to William Malet, a companion of William the Conqueror for burial; Duke William refused an offer by Harold's mother, Gytha, to exchange Harold's corpse for its weight in gold. The account also relates that some Normans remarked "in jest" that "he who guarded the coast with such insensate zeal should be buried by the sea shore", but does not say that this was actually done. Another account, the Carmen de Hastingae Proelio, thought to have been written only months after the battle, says that he was buried under a cliff top cairn, but this version does not appear in any other account. The Abbey Church of Holy Cross and St Lawrence is the parish church of the town of Waltham Abbey, Essex in England. It has been a place of worship since the 7th century. The present building dates mainly from the early 12th century and is an example of Norman architecture. To the east of the existing church are traces of an enormous eastward enlargement of the building, begun following the re-foundation of the abbey in 1177. In the late middle ages, Waltham was one of the largest church buildings in England and a major site of pilgrimage; in 1540 was the last religious community to be closed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. It is still an active parish church for the town.
Size: 3456px × 5184px
Location: Abbey Gardens, Waltham Abbey, Essex, England.
Photo credit: © Stuart Robertson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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