
It’s little and often overlooked and yet it remains one of the most important parts of the Crown Jewels. The golden ampulla dates back to the reign of the last king called Charles to be crowned at Westminster Abbey and it will play a vital part in the Coronation of King Charles III.
The ampulla holds the holy oil which is used by the Archbishop of Canterbury to anoint the Monarch before their Coronation. On May 6th 2023, it will be filled with the chrism recently consecrated in Jerusalem for the Coronation of King Charles. The oil was made from olives grown in groves on the Mount of Olives, including trees from the Monastery of St. Mary Magdalene where The King’s grandmother, Princess Alice, is buried.
The anointing is the most sacred part of the Coronation ceremony and is so important that it is not witnessed. When Queen Elizabeth II was anointed at her Coronation, a screen was held around her to stop the TV cameras capturing the moment. The Archbishop of Canterbury uses the holy oil to anoint the Monarch on the head, chest and hands. This moment of anointing goes back to the Old Testament and the description in the Book of Kings of the anointing of Solomon.
The vessel for this sacred oil is a golden eagle with outspread wings. It was made for the Coronation of King Charles II in 1661. Many of the Crown Jewels had to be reproduced for his crowning as they had been destroyed under the rule of Oliver Cromwell, following the fall of the Monarchy in 1649. This new ampulla was the work of the Crown Jeweller, Sir Robert Viner.
He took his inspiration from the ampulla which had been lost under Cromwell. This newer version was bigger than its predecessor and is made of gold. Both ampullas were inspired by a legend that said that the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Thomas a Becket and gave him a golden eagle as well as oil to use in the anointing of Kings of England.
Sir Robert Viner’s ampulla is practical as well as historic. It was designed to make putting the oil inside easy – the head of the eagle screws off to allow the chrism to be poured in. And to ensure its full magnificence is on show during the Coronation, the beak of the bird has an opening for the oil to be poured through, on to the Coronation spoon from which the Archbishop of Canterbury takes the chrism for the anointing.
The ampulla is usually on show in the Jewel House at the Tower of London but it will be taken to Westminster Abbey for the Coronation in May. It will be another chapter in a tiny but very important part of royal history.