Did Henry VIII really Break the Church?
Emma J Wells
- Region:
- England
- Notice Period:
- Regular (more than one month's notice)
- Type:
- Professional
- Fee:
- Paid: 150
- Category:
- History
- Updated:
- 11th May 2021
- Tagged:
- Tudors | Churches | Art And Religion | Henry Viii
When we think of the pre-Reformation parish church, prior to King Henry VIII’s supposed “stripping of the altars”, the image conjured is often of an arena of visual delights; filled to the brim with all the smells and bells of traditional Catholicism—a highly sensory type of worship that offered attractions to the eyes and ears, above all. This stands in sharp contrast to the often austere, suppressed perspective of sixteenth-century Protestantism, with its focus on the Word of God through text, prayer-books, and vernacular scripture. We tend to think of the post-Reformation parish church as an austere devotional environment, devoid of the images, relics, incense, music, vestments, tastes, and textures of late-medieval religion. But, how true is this picture? And was Henry VIII, who we love to blame for the changing of our church in the sixteenth century, really the perpetrator? This lecture will unravel the reality of his role—and who might actually be responsible.
Views: 758 | Enquiries: 0About Emma J Wells
Dr Emma J. Wells is an academic, author, and broadcaster. She is an ecclesiastical and architectural historian as well as public historian at the University of York, specialising in the English parish church/cathedral, pilgrimage, the cult of saints, and the ‘senses’, as well as built heritage more generally.
In addition to her research and teaching, Emma is Secretary & Assistant Editor for the Society and Journal of Church Archaeology, sits on the Newcastle Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC), sits on the Academic Advisory Board of the Centre for Parish Church Studies (CPCS), was elected as a Guardian for the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB), and is a member of the editorial board of Royal Studies Journal. In 2017, she was also elected as a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) and, in 2018, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA). She is also a full member of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (MCIfA) and a Patron of the Walpole Old Chapel, Suffolk Unwrapped fundraising Project.
A published author and editor, Emma’s publication repertoire includes trade books, edited volumes, renowned academic journals and collections, handbooks, magazine editorials, and websites. Her most recent book, Pilgrim Routes of the British Isles, was released in 2016. Her next book, entitled Heaven On Earth: The Lives & Legacies of the World’s Greatest Cathedrals is to be published by Head of Zeus in 2022.
An experienced and busy public speaker, the list of lectures and presentations she has given is extensive, and have covered a wide array of subjects associated with social, cultural and religious history, historic buildings, art and architecture. She has been invited to present talks and keynotes for the Churches Conservation Trusts, at Canterbury Cathedral, Ripon Minster, Courtauld Institute of Art, Oxford University, the Listed Property Show, Who Do You Think You Are?, Durham’s World Heritage Site and the Institute for Historical Research.
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