Saint Paul’s Cathedral
What is Saint Paul’s Cathedral famous for?
Who was married at Saint Paul’s Cathedral?
What is unique about the dome of Saint Paul’s Cathedral?
Who is buried inside Saint Paul’s Cathedral?
Saint Paul’s Cathedral, in London, cathedral of the Anglican bishop. Saint Paul’s Cathedral was founded in 604 ce, but the present building dates from 1675–1710. It was designed by English architect Christopher Wren..
History
Several places of worship have likely stood at the current site of Saint Paul’s Cathedral, possibly including a Roman temple to Diana. The first Christian cathedral there was dedicated to St. Paul in 604 ce, during the rule of King Aethelberht I. That cathedral burned, and its replacement was built between 675 and 685. The second cathedral was destroyed by Vikings in 962. A third cathedral was constructed but also burned in 1087.
Construction of the fourth cathedral, now known as Old St. Paul’s, began in the late 11th century using stone from Caen, France. When the building was completed in 1340, it was one of the more massive buildings in the British Isles. Its spire stood higher than the dome of the present cathedral. During the English Reformation (16th century) the edifice fell into disrepair, and its nave was used as a marketplace. In 1561 the spire was destroyed by lightning and a resulting fire and never replaced. Major repairs were initiated in the 1630s by designer Inigo Jones, who oversaw the removal of shops, the renovation of walls, and the building of a much-admired portico on the western side. During the English Civil Wars (1642–51), however, the structure was severely damaged by Oliver Cromwell’s cavalry troops who used it as a barracks. In the 1660s Christopher Wren was enlisted to survey and repair the cathedral, but the building was destroyed in the Great Fire of London (1666) before work could begin.
Wren subsequently designed and oversaw the construction of the present cathedral, which was built mainly of stone from the island of Portland off the southern coast of Dorset, England. His plans were approved in 1675, and work was carried out until 1710. Wren’s design combined Neoclassical, Gothic, and Baroque elements in an attempt to symbolize the ideals of both the English Restoration and 17th-century scientific philosophy. His finished cathedral differed greatly from the plan approved in 1675, however. Wren apparently based many of his modifications on an earlier (1673), unapproved plan for St. Paul’s, which was first given shape in his 20-foot-long “Great Model,” now kept on display in the crypt. For further treatment of the architect’s intentions, see Sir Christopher Wren: Construction of St. Paul’s.
Among Wren’s distinguished assistants were the French ironworker Jean Tijou, who wrought the grillwork of the choir and the iron balustrade of the southwest tower; the sculptor and carver Grinling Gibbons, who produced the wooden choir stalls, the organ case, and the bishop’s throne; the mason-contractors (and brothers) Thomas Strong and Edward Strong; the master carpenter John Longland; and the mason Joshua Marshall.
During the 19th century some decorative changes were made to the interior of the cathedral in an attempt to bring it in line with Victorian tastes. In 1941, during the Battle of Britain, civil defense brigades protected the structure from fire, although it was hit directly by bombs; at one point an unexploded bomb was removed, at great risk, from the nave. Repairs were carried out following the war.
Architecture
St. Paul’s Cathedral uses a traditional Latin cross plan, which includes a long east-west nave that is intersected by a shorter north-south transept. At the west end of the nave is the church’s entrance, featuring an exterior facade with a two-storied portico framed by twin bell towers. They rise nearly 213 feet (65 meters) above the ground. The southwest tower is known for the Geometrical Staircase (with its balustrade by Tijou), which leads to the cathedral library and archives. Accessible from the nave, the chapel of the Order of St. Michael and St. George adjoins the southwest tower, while St. Dunstan’s Chapel adjoins the northwest tower.
The east side of the church (the apse) includes the choir and the American Memorial Chapel (formerly the Jesus Chapel), which was dedicated in 1958 to U.S. soldiers killed in World War II. From the western facade to the eastern end of the apse, St. Paul’s measures nearly 515 feet (157 meters); including the western steps, the total length of the structure is 555 feet (170 meters). Meanwhile, the transept runs 246 feet (75 meters) and features a semicircular portico on the exterior of each end.
At the crossing (the place where the nave and the transept meet), Wren designed a dome rather than the customary steeple. This dome has long dominated the London skyline and is composed of three shells: an outer dome, a concealed brick cone for structural support, and an inner dome. At the apex of the lead-encased outer dome is an 850-ton lantern, upon which the ball and cross stand at nearly 366 feet (112 meters) above ground level. Both the outer dome and the lantern are supported by the interior brick cone. The weight and thrust of the upper dome is further supported by buttresses and columns in a peristyle; below these is a circle of 32 buttresses not visible from the ground. Eight massive piers connect the buttresses of the dome area to the floor of the cathedral. At the base of the lantern is the famous Golden Gallery, which offers panoramas of London some 530 steps (and some 280 feet [85 meters]) above the ground. Another popular viewing spot is the Stone Gallery at the base of the outer dome.
Composed of a masonry shell with a diameter of 101 feet (31 meters), the inner dome is visible from inside the cathedral. The frescoes and grisaille of the inner dome are best admired from the Whispering Gallery (so called because a whisper from one side of the gallery can be heard from the other side). It runs the perimeter of the interior dome and rises 99 feet (30 meters) above the cathedral floor.
A resting place
Many notable soldiers, artists, and intellectuals have been buried in the crypt, including Horatio Nelson, Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington, and Wren himself, who was one of the first to be entombed there. Above his resting place is the epitaph composed by his son, ending with the oft-quoted sentence “Lector, si monumentum requiris, circumspice,” which may be translated “Reader, if you seek a monument, look about you.”