St Paul's Cathedral
The year 604 marks the consecration of Mellitus as the first bishop to the East Saxons, establishing a church dedicated to Paul on Ludgate Hill. King Sæberht's uncle, King Aethelberht of Kent, built this initial structure, though its exact location remains speculative among modern historians. Legend claims a Roman temple to Diana once stood here, but Christopher Wren found no evidence during his construction work in the late seventeenth century. Excavations in 1995 uncovered a large fifth-century building on Tower Hill, possibly a cathedral, yet this claim lacks definitive proof. Bishop Restitutus represented London at the Council of Arles in 314 AD, suggesting an early Christian community existed within the city walls. The Anglo-Saxon cathedral likely stood on the same site for centuries until it was destroyed by fire in 1087. King Aethelred the Unready was buried there upon his death in 1016, and his tomb has since vanished without trace. Christianity returned to the East Saxons in the late seventh century, leading to the restoration or rebuilding of the church under bishops like Erkenwald. Erkenwald died in 693 and was interred within the cathedral, becoming a figure of veneration second only to St Paul himself.
Old St Paul's Cathedral burned completely during the Great Fire of London in 1666, leaving only the outer walls standing. Sir Christopher Wren received official assignment to design a replacement structure on the 30th of July 1669, following years of advising on repairs before the disaster. The decision to demolish the entire Gothic structure rather than restore it had been proposed even before the flames consumed the building. Construction began in June 1675, with the first stone laid by Thomas Strong, one of two master stonemasons appointed by Wren. The project was financed through a tax on coal, allowing completion within Wren's lifetime despite numerous delays and design changes. The topping out ceremony occurred on the 26th of October 1708 when Wren's son placed the final stone on the lantern. Parliament declared the cathedral officially complete on the 25th of December 1711, though statues continued to be added throughout the 1720s. Total costs reached £1,095,556 by 1716, a massive sum for the era. Consecration took place on the 2nd of December 1697, thirty-one years after the fire destroyed the previous church. The new building became the second largest church in Britain, featuring a dome proclaimed as the finest in the world.
Wren designed a double-shelled dome that rises to 365 feet, a height chosen partly due to his interest in astronomy. Between the inner and outer domes lies an eighteen-inch-thick brick cone supporting both the lead-covered outer dome and the ornate stone lantern above. Eight piers support the entire structure, distributing weight more broadly than the four piers used in most other cathedrals. A great steel chain was embedded around the outside of the dome during twentieth-century restoration to stabilize the foundation against settlement. The crypt beneath the building is the largest in Europe, serving both structural and burial purposes while occupying half its space with massive piers. Flying buttresses were added at a late stage to reinforce the clerestory and vault, concealed behind a screen wall to maintain classical aesthetics. Wren avoided external buttresses entirely by making the cathedral walls particularly thick, countering thrust through their own weight. The final design differs substantially from the official warrant, incorporating changes made over three decades of construction. The dome's saucer shape draws inspiration from François Mansart's Church of the Val-de-Grâce, which Wren visited during a trip to Paris in 1665.
A bomb struck St Paul's on the 10th of October 1940, destroying the high altar during the Blitz. Another attack on the 17th of April 1941 left a hole in the floor above the crypt and shifted the entire dome laterally by a small amount. On the 12th of September 1940, Temporary Lieutenant Robert Davies defused a time-delayed bomb that would have totally destroyed the cathedral if it had exploded. Davies and Sapper George Cameron Wylie received the George Cross for this action, with Davies' medal now displayed at the Imperial War Museum. A famous photograph taken on the 29th of December 1940 shows the cathedral shrouded in smoke, becoming one of the best known images of London during the war. Post-war rebuilding included completion of the American Memorial Chapel in 1958 and repair of the damaged North Transept in 1962. Extensive copper, lead, and slate renovation work was carried out on the Dome in 1996 by John B. Chambers. A fifteen-year restoration project, one of the largest ever undertaken in the UK, concluded on the 15th of June 2011. Two suffragette bombing attempts occurred in 1913 and 1914, targeting churches believed to oppose women's suffrage rights.
The state funeral of Horatio Nelson took place on the 9th of January 1806, establishing St Paul's as a venue for national mourning. The Duke of Wellington received his state funeral here on the 18th of November 1852, with his monument standing on the north side of the nave since 1912. Winston Churchill's state funeral occurred on the 30th of January 1965, followed by Margaret Thatcher's ceremonial funeral on the 17th of April 2013. Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer chose this cathedral over Westminster Abbey for their wedding on the 29th of July 1981 due to its larger seating capacity. Thanksgiving services marked the Acts of Union in 1707 and VE Day celebrations in May 1945. Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee National Service of Thanksgiving was held on the 3rd of June 2022. The cathedral has hosted royal processions culminating up Ludgate Hill, utilizing its great nave and space under the dome for ceremonies exceeding ten thousand attendees. Services have included peace commemorations marking the end of both World Wars and jubilees celebrating monarchs from George III through Elizabeth II.
Grinling Gibbons created the finest stone carvings on the building, including floral swags beneath every window that constitute some of England's greatest architectural sculpture. Sir James Thornhill painted eight scenes from the life of St Paul inside the dome, published as engravings in 1720. Jean Tijou designed elaborate wrought iron gates and balustrades, many pieces now combined near the sanctuary. The crypt contains more than two hundred memorials, including Christopher Wren himself who was interred there in 1723 with the Latin inscription Lector si monumentum requiris circumspice. Horatio Lord Nelson lies buried next to the Duke of Wellington, his marble sarcophagus originally made for Cardinal Wolsey before he fell from favor. Florence Nightingale, J.M.W. Turner, Arthur Sullivan, Samuel Johnson, Lawrence of Arabia, William Blake, and Alexander Fleming are all remembered within the cathedral grounds. A limestone Madonna and Child sculpture by Henry Moore was carved in 1943 and placed in the north choir aisle. The East India Company Trail initiated in 2023 contextualizes memorial statues associated with historic harm done to communities in South Asia through explanatory texts available online.
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Common questions
When was St Paul's Cathedral first established as a church on Ludgate Hill?
The year 604 marks the consecration of Mellitus as the first bishop to the East Saxons, establishing a church dedicated to Paul on Ludgate Hill. King Aethelberht of Kent built this initial structure though its exact location remains speculative among modern historians.
Who designed the current St Paul's Cathedral and when did construction begin?
Sir Christopher Wren received official assignment to design a replacement structure on the 30th of July 1669 following years of advising on repairs before the disaster. Construction began in June 1675 with the first stone laid by Thomas Strong one of two master stonemasons appointed by Wren.
What happened to St Paul's Cathedral during World War II attacks?
A bomb struck St Paul's on the 10th of October 1940 destroying the high altar during the Blitz while another attack on the 17th of April 1941 left a hole in the floor above the crypt and shifted the entire dome laterally by a small amount. Temporary Lieutenant Robert Davies defused a time-delayed bomb on the 12th of September 1940 that would have totally destroyed the cathedral if it had exploded.
Which famous historical figures are buried or memorialized within St Paul's Cathedral?
The crypt contains more than two hundred memorials including Christopher Wren himself who was interred there in 1723 with the Latin inscription Lector si monumentum requiris circumspice. Horatio Lord Nelson lies buried next to the Duke of Wellington Florence Nightingale J.M.W. Turner Arthur Sullivan Samuel Johnson Lawrence of Arabia William Blake and Alexander Fleming are all remembered within the cathedral grounds.
When did the Great Fire destroy Old St Paul's Cathedral and when was the new building officially completed?
Old St Paul's Cathedral burned completely during the Great Fire of London in 1666 leaving only the outer walls standing. Parliament declared the cathedral officially complete on the 25th of December 1711 though statues continued to be added throughout the 1720s.