Saint Paul’s Cathedral
Saint Paul’s Cathedral, in London, cathedral of the Anglican bishop. It is located within the central City of London, atop Ludgate Hill and northeast of Blackfriars.
A Roman temple to Diana may once have stood on the site, but the first Christian cathedral there was dedicated to St. Paul in ad 604, during the rule of King Aethelberht I. That cathedral burned, and its replacement (built 675–685) was destroyed by Viking raiders in 962. In 1087 a third cathedral erected on the site also burned.
The fourth cathedral, now known as Old St. Paul’s, was constructed of Caen stone beginning in the late 11th century. It was one of the more massive buildings in the British Isles at that time, and 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. The spire was destroyed by lightning (and a resulting fire) in 1561 and never replaced. Major repairs were initiated in the 1630s by 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 Cromwellian cavalry troops who used it as a barracks. In the 1660s Christopher Wren was enlisted to survey and repair the cathedral, but it 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 Portland stone. His plans were approved in 1675, and work was carried out until 1710. 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.
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 Huguenot 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 and Edward Strong; the master carpenter John Longland; and the mason Joshua Marshall.
St. Paul’s famous dome, which has long dominated the London skyline, is composed of three shells: an outer dome, a concealed brick cone for structural support, and an inner dome. The cross atop its outer dome stands nearly 366 feet (112 metres) above ground level (some 356 feet [109 metres] above the main floor of the cathedral). Below the cross are an 850-ton lantern section and the outer, lead-encased dome, both of which are supported by the brick cone. At the base of the lantern (the apex of the outer dome) is the famous Golden Gallery, which offers panoramas of London some 530 steps (and some 280 feet [85 metres]) above the ground.Farther down, at a point just below the brick cone, is the Stone Gallery, another popular viewing spot. Visible from within the cathedral is the inner dome, a masonry shell with a diameter of 101 feet (31 metres). 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), 99 feet (30 metres) above the cathedral floor. Supporting the weight and thrust of the upper dome section are buttresses and columns in a peristyle; below these, near the height of the Whispering Gallery, 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.
To the north and south of the dome section are wide transepts, each with semicircular porticoes; to the east lie the choir and the Jesus Chapel, while the nave and the “front” entrance are to the west. Framing the western facade, twin bell towers rise nearly 213 feet (65 metres) above the floor. 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. There are some 300 monuments within the cathedral. In the Apse to the east of the Chancel is 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 metres); including the western steps, the total length of the structure is 555 feet (170 metres).
Many notable soldiers, artists, and intellectuals have been buried in the crypt, including Lord Nelson, the 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.”
For further accounts of the history and significance of St. Paul’s Cathedral, see the 18th-century excerpts from the second and third editions of the Encyclopædia Britannica.