2023-04-28 14:24:37
Leaving Scotland for the first time in a quarter of a century, the “Stone of Destiny”, with a thousand-year-old history, is on its way to the coronation of King Charles III.
The ‘Stone of Destiny’, also known as the ‘Stone of Scone’, is a centerpiece for the coronation of the King of England, Charles III, which will take place on May 6. She left Scotland this Friday, for the first time in a quarter of a century, during a ceremony at Edinburgh Castle.
Direction Westminster Abbey, in London, where the coronation of Charles III will be held. Because if the sacred figure of the monarch will be celebrated there, and his role as head of the Church of England, it will be necessary, for the coronation to be effective, that the “stone of destiny” be placed under the chair of the King Edward, solid wood throne used for 700 years. A central role for this heavy object, with a long history mixing myth and historical reality.
The journey of the scone stone
To better understand the meaning of the Stone of Scone, we must go back to its mythical origins. According to tradition referring to the Bible, this stone would have been used by Jacob as a pillow. Arrived by Egypt then Spain to Scotland, at the monastery of Scone, in the 9th century, it would have been used as a coronation stone for the first Scottish kings. According to legend, the stone would have been transported by the Egyptian princess Scota, who gave the name Scotland to Scotland. It is said that as long as this stone remains in the country, the kingdom will belong to the Scots.
It was in 1296 that King Edward I of England kept this stone as spoils of war and installed it in Westminster Abbey, where it was permanently placed under the coronation throne. A way of symbolizing his dominance over Scotland. The 152 kilo stone will then remain under the oak throne for more than 700 years.
an ever powerful symbol
In 1950, four Scottish students stole the stone from Westminster Abbey. A great search was ordered to find her, in vain. Finally returned, it might be used for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953. The “Stone of Destiny” was symbolically returned to Scotland in 1996, in full rise of independence sentiment. But it has been agreed that she will return to Edinburgh Castle in Westminster for future coronations, such as May 6.
The symbol that this stone represents in the fight between England and Scotland remains powerful, like the words of Scottish Prime Minister Humza Yousaf, during the ceremony this Friday in Edinburgh. The one who aims to lead Scotland to independence and leave the bosom of the British monarchy, thus hailed a “historic moment” in which he said he was “delighted” to take part.
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