The United Kingdom celebrated Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee with exhibitions and art installations to honor the 70th year of the 96-year-old monarch’s reign.
In one such homage, the queen’s image was projected onto eight of the massive stones at Stonehenge.
But though the move was intended to pay homage to the historic figure at one of the U.K.’s most recognizable sites this week, not everyone was happy about it.
Organized by English Heritage, a government body that cares for historical sites in England, the display was meant to be a “spellbinding homage” that “brought two British icons together,” according to tweets from the organization.
Eight portraits of the queen, one from each decade of her reign, were projected on eight separate stones at the heritage site.
While some individuals on Twitter agreed the installation was “an amazing sight to see,” others described it as “tacky” or took issue with the use of what they see as a sacred site.
“HM the Queen is Head of the Church of England, and #Stonehenge is an ancient, pre-Christian monument,” tweeted Irish healthcare CEO Alison Begas. “Am I the only one confused?”
As monarch, Elizabeth is also Supreme Governor of the Church of England, a titular, but deeply symbolic, role.
British sovereigns also swear to uphold the Church of Scotland, though they do not hold an official title in that church.
Though the true purpose of the monument is not known, Stonehenge and its megaliths have been the subject of mystery and discussion for centuries. Constructed in multiple stages between 3000 and 1500 B.C.E., the henge aligns with celestial bodies.
One theory holds it means it would have been used as some kind of solar calendar; recent excavations of human bodies suggest it could have been used as a burial ground.
Though modern research has shown Stonehenge was constructed a few thousand years before the emergence of the Celtic Druids once thought to have built the henge for their rituals, modern-day pagans claim it as a pilgrimage site and hold religious ceremonies there.
Stonehenge now draws up to 1.6 million visitors per year.
But pagans say it’s holy ground, not a tourist attraction. In 2011, a brouhaha erupted in response to an op-ed by a British aristocrat calling for the monument to be lit up at night, sparking dueling op-eds and an outcry by both stargazers and pagans. Neo-druid and environmental protester Arthur Uther Pendragon, a longtime opponent of Heritage England, told BBC News at the time that illuminating the site would turn it into a “theme park” and detract from the site’s purpose.
