St Paul's Cathedral from the south

St Paul's Cathedral from Ludgate Hill during cleaning in 2004

St Paul's Cathedral at night

St Paul's Cathedral is a cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London in London, and the seat of the Bishop of London. The present building dates from the 17th century, and is generally reckoned to be London's fourth St Paul's Cathedral, although the number is even higher if every major medieval reconstruction is counted as a new cathedral. Download high resolution version (768x1044, 807 KB)South face of St. ... Download high resolution version (768x1044, 807 KB)South face of St. ... St. ... St. ... Ludgate Hill is a hill in the City of London, near the old Ludgate, a gate to the City that was taken down, with its attached jail, in 1780. ... Download high resolution version (1197x1239, 477 KB)St Pauls Cathedral, London, at night, taken from Ludgate Hill. ... Download high resolution version (1197x1239, 477 KB)St Pauls Cathedral, London, at night, taken from Ludgate Hill. ... Ludgate Hill is a hill in the City of London, near the old Ludgate, a gate to the City that was taken down, with its attached jail, in 1780. ... This article is about a small section of central London. ... The Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster which contains Big Ben A red double-decker bus crosses Piccadilly Circus. ... The current Bishop of London is Richard John Carew Chartres, who is the 132nd Bishop, and was installed on January 26, 1996. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ...

The previous cathedrals

The see of London dates from 604 AD, and its cathedral has always been situated on Ludgate Hill and dedicated to St Paul. Ludgate Hill itself has long been associated with religion. It is believed that it was originally the site of an ancient megalith and then later a temple dedicated to the goddess Diana, in alignment with the Apollo Temple which once stood at Westminster. Ludgate Hill is a hill in the City of London, near the old Ludgate, a gate to the City that was taken down, with its attached jail, in 1780. ... Saint Paul, or Paul of Tarsus, is a Christian saint, who has lent his name to a number of places and things: Buildings and institutions Churches St Pauls Cathedral in London, England, designed by Christopher Wren St Pauls Cathedral (Macau) in Macau St Pauls Cathedral, Melbourne in... Megalithic tomb, Mane Braz, Brittany A megalith is a large stone which has been used to construct a structure or monument either alone or with other stones. ... Diana was the equivalent in Roman mythology of the Greek Artemis (see Roman/Greek equivalency in mythology for more details). ... Westminster is the area located immediately to the west of the ancient City of London, in the centre of the wider conurbation of London. ...

The first cathedral was built by the Saxons in wood. It burned down in 675 AD and was rebuilt, again in wood, ten years later. After this version was sacked by the Vikings in 962, the "second" St Paul's was built, this time mainly in stone. This article is about the Saxons, a Germanic people. ... The name Viking is a loan from the native Scandinavian term for the Norse seafaring warriors who raided the coasts of Scandinavia, the British Isles, and other parts of Europe from the late 8th century to the 11th century, the period of European history referred to as the Viking Age. ...

The third St Paul's (known as Old St Paul's), was begun by the Normans after the late Saxon cathedral suffered in a fire of 1087. Work took over two hundred years, and a great deal was lost in a fire in 1136. Nonetheless the roof was once more built of wood, which was ultimately to doom the building. The church was "completed" in 1240 but a change of heart soon led to the commencement of an enlargement programme, which was not completed until 1314. The cathedral was however consecrated in 1300. It was the third longest church in Europe at 596 feet (181 metres) and boasted one of Europe's tallest spires at some 489 feet (149 metres). The Normans (adapted from the name Northmen or Norsemen) were Scandinavian invaders (especially Danish Vikings) who began to occupy the northern area of France now known as Normandy in the latter half of the 9th century. ... Events May 9 - The remains of Saint Nicholas were brought to Bari. ... Events Completion of the Saint Denis Basilica in Paris Peter Abelard writes the Historia Calamitatum, detailing his relationship with Heloise Births William of Newburgh, British historian and author of the Historia rerum Anglicarum Deaths November 15 - Leopold III of Austria, Patron saint of Austria Categories: 1136 ... Events Batu Khan and the Golden Horde sack the Ruthenian city of Kyiv Births Pope Benedict XI Deaths April 11 - Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, also known as Llywelyn The Great Prince of Gwynedd Monarchs/Presidents Aragon - James I King of Aragon and count of Barcelona (reigned from 1213 to 1276) Castile... Events June 24 - Battle of Bannockburn. ... Events Beginning of the Renaissance. ...

By the 16th century the building was decaying. Under Henry VIII and Edward VI, the Dissolution of the Monasteries and Chantries Acts led to the destruction of interior ornamentation in the cathedral as well as the cloisters, charnels, crypts, chapels, shrines, chantries and various other buildings in the churchyard. Many of these former religious sites in Paul's Yard, having been seized by the crown, were sold as shops and rental properties, especially to printers and booksellers who were often evangelical Protestants. The more ornate buildings that were razed often supplied building material for new construction projects, such as Somerset House. (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... Henry VIII King of England and Ireland by Hans Holbein the Younger His Grace King Henry VIII (28 June 1491–28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) from 22 April 1509 until his death. ... Edward VI King of England and Ireland Edward VI (12 October 1537–6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. ... The Dissolution of the Monasteries (referred to by Roman Catholic writers as the Suppression of the Monasteries) was the formal process, taking place between 1536 and 1540, by which King Henry VIII confiscated the property of the Roman Catholic monastic institutions in England and took them to himself, as the... Chantry is a term for the English establishment of a shrine or chapel on private land where monks or priests would say (or chant) prayers on a fixed schedule, usually for someone who had died. ... Cloister of Saint Trophimus, in Arles, France A cloister (from latin claustrum) is part of cathedrals and abbeys architecture. ... In medieval terms, a crypt (from the Latin crypta and the Greek kryptē) is a stone chamber or vault, usually beneath the floor of a church, usually containing tombs of important people such as saints or saints relics. ... A chapel is a church other than a parish church, often attached to a larger institution such as a college, a hospital, a palace, or a prison. ... Eastern Orthodox shrine Buddhist shrine just outside Wat Phnom. ... Chantry is a shrine or chapel where someone had paid an endowment to have the monks say (or chant) prayers on a fixed schedule for someone who had died. ... Evangelical has several distinct meanings: In its original sense, it means belonging or related to the Gospel (Greek: euangelion - good news) of the New Testament. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... Somerset House in London Somerset House is a large building situated on the south side of The Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. ...

Crowds were drawn to the northeast corner of the yard, St. Paul's Cross, where open air preaching took place. It was there in the Cross Yard in 1549 that radical Protestant preachers incited a mob to destroy many of the cathedral's interior decorations. In 1561 the spire was destroyed by lightning and it was not replaced; this event was taken by Protestants and Catholics alike as a sign of God's displeasure of the other side's actions. Events July - Ketts Rebellion Francis Xavier arrives in Japan. ... Events The Edict of Orleans suspends the persecution of the Huguenots. ...

England's first classical architect Sir Inigo Jones added the cathedral's new west front in the 1630s, but there was much defacement and mistreatment of the building by Parliamentarian forces during the Puritan Revolution. "Old St Paul's" was finally ruined in the Great Fire of London of 1666. While it might have been salvageable, albeit with almost complete reconstruction, a decision was taken to build a new cathedral in a modern style instead. Indeed this had been contemplated even before the fire. The word classical has several meanings: Pertaining to the societies of the classical antiquity, ancient Greece or Rome. ... Inigo Jones, by Sir Anthony van Dyck Inigo Jones (July 15, 1573 - June 21, 1652) is regarded as the first significant English architect. ... Events and Trends Thirty Years War in full swing in Europe September 8, 1636 - A vote of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony establishes Harvard College as the first college founded in the Americas. ... The Great Fire of London was a major fire that swept through the City of London from September 2nd to September 5th, 1666, and resulted more or less in the destruction of the city. ... Events September 2 - Great Fire of London: A large fire breaks out in London in the house of Charles IIs baker on Pudding Lane near London Bridge. ...

Wren's St Paul's

The Greek Cross design

The warrant design

The final design.

St Paul's in 1896.

St. Paul's Cathedral during the bombing of London.

The task of designing a replacement structure was assigned to Christopher Wren in 1668, along with over fifty other churches. His first design (to build a replacement on the foundations of the old cathedral) was rejected in 1669. The second design, in the shape of a Greek cross (circa 1670-1672) was rejected as too radical, as was a revised design which resulted in the 1:24 scale "Great Model", currently on display in the crypt of the cathedral. The 'warrant' design was accepted in 1675 and building work began in June. This design included a smaller dome with a spire on top, however King Charles II had given Wren permission to make "ornamental" changes to the approved design, and Wren took the liberty to radically rework the design to the current form, including the large central dome and the towers at the West end. The cathedral was completed on October 20, 1708, Wren's 76th birthday (although the first service was held on December 2, 1697), and has survived until the present day, despite being targeted during the Blitz (it was struck by a bomb on October 9, 1940, but survived). Wrens Greek Cross design for St Pauls Cathedral in London. ... Wrens Greek Cross design for St Pauls Cathedral in London. ... Wrens warrant design for St Pauls Cathedral in London. ... Wrens warrant design for St Pauls Cathedral in London. ... Wrens final design for St Pauls Cathedral. ... Wrens final design for St Pauls Cathedral. ... St Pauls from the south west in 1896. ... St Pauls from the south west in 1896. ... Photo of St. ... Photo of St. ... Christopher Wren by Godfrey Kneller, 1711. ... Events January - The Triple Alliance of 1668 is formed. ... Events Samuel Pepys stopped writing his diary. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... 1670 was a common year beginning on a Saturday in countries using the Julian calendar and a Wednesday in countries using the Gregorian calendar. ... Events England, France, Munster and Cologne invade the United Provinces, therefore this name is know as ´het rampjaar´ (the disaster year) in the Netherlands. ... Events January 5 - The Battle of Turckeim August 10 - Building of the Royal Greenwich Observatory began November 11 - Guru Gobind Singh becomes the Tenth Guru of the Sikhs. ... Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 30 January 1649 (de jure) or 29 May 1660 (de facto) until his death. ... October 20 is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 72 days remaining. ... Events March 23 - James Francis Edward Stuart lands at the Firth of Forth September 28 - Peter the Great defeats the Swedes at the Battle of Lesnaya Kandahar conquered by Mir Wais In Masuria one third of the population die during the plague J.S. Bach appointed as chamber musician and... December 2 is the 336th day (337th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events September 20 - The Treaty of Ryswick December 2 – St Pauls Cathedral opened in London Peter the Great travels in Europe officially incognito as artilleryman Pjotr Mikhailov Use of palanquins increases in Europe Christopher Polhem starts Swedens first technical school. ... The Blitz, a popular English contraction of the German word Blitzkrieg, was the sustained and intensive bombing of Britain, particularly London, from September 7, 1940 through to May 1941 by the German Luftwaffe in World War II. Although the Blitz is named after Blitzkrieg, it was not an example of... October 9 is the 282nd day of the year (283rd in Leap years). ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The cathedral is built of Portland stone in a late Renaissance to Baroque style. Its impressive dome was inspired by St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, rising 108 metres (365 feet to the cross at its summit, i.e. one foot for each day of the year), making it a famous London landmark. Wren achieved a pleasing appearance by actually building three domes: the tall outer dome is non-structural but impressive to view, the lower inner dome provides an artistically balanced interior, and between the two is a structural cone which supports the apex structure and the outer dome panelling. During the building of its later stages, Wren was said to have been hauled up to the rafters in a basket to inspect the artwork. Portland Stone is limestone from the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. ... By Region: Italian Renaissance Northern Renaissance -French Renaissance -German Renaissance -English Renaissance The Renaissance was an influential cultural movement which brought about a period of scientific revolution and artistic transformation, at the dawn of modern European history. ... Adoration, by Peter Paul Rubens: dynamic figures spiral down around a void: draperies blow: a whirl of movement lit in a shaft of light, rendered in a free bravura handling of paint The Baroque was a style in art that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce... The Basilica of Saint Peter, portrayed by Viviano Codazzi in a 1630 painting, is the largest church in Christendom and often used by the Pope. ... Location within Italy The Roman Colosseum Rome (Italian and Latin: Roma) is the capital city of Italy and of its Latium region. ...

The cathedral runs west to east from the Great West Door. The nave has three small chapels in the two adjoining aisles – All Souls and St Dunstan's in the north aisle and the Chapel of the Order of St Michael and St George in the south aisle. The main space of the cathedral is centred under the Dome, it rises 108.4 metres from the cathedral floor and holds three circular galleries – the internal Whispering Gallery, the external Stone Gallery, and the external Golden Gallery. The Quire extends to the east of the Dome and holds the stalls for the clergy and the choir as well as the cathedral's organ. The organ was first commissioned in 1694 and the current instrument is the third biggest in Britain with 7,189 pipes and 138 stops; it is enclosed in an impressive case built by Grinling Gibbons. To the north and south of the dome are the transepts of the North Quire and the South Quire. The cathedral has a very substantial crypt holding over 200 memorials as well as the OBE Chapel and the Treasury; Christopher Wren was the first person to be interred (in 1723). The cathedral has very few treasures: Many have been lost, and in 1810 a major robbery took almost all of the remaining precious artefacts. A cathedral is a Christian church building, specifically of a denomination with an episcopal hierarchy (such as the Roman Catholic Church or the Anglican churches), which serves as the central church of a bishopric. ... Full descriptions of the elements of a Gothic floorplan are found at the entry Cathedral diagram. ... In a modern church an aisle is thought of as a row down the middle of the church with a set of pews on each side. ... On the Orders insignia, St Michael is often depicted subduing Satan. ... The word choir can refer to: A musical choir. ... Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. ... This article or section should be merged with Pipe organ The Casavant pipe organ at Notre-Dame de Montréal Basilica, Montreal The organ is a type of keyboard musical instrument, distinctive because the sound is not produced by a percussion action, as on a piano or celesta, or by... Events February 6 - The colony Quilombo dos Palmares is destroyed. ... One of the many bookcase carvings Gibbons made for the Wren Library, Cambridge. ... Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions, in order of seniority: Knight or Dame Grand Cross... Christopher Wren by Godfrey Kneller, 1711. ... Events February 16 - Louis XV of France attains his majority Births February 24 - John Burgoyne, British general (d. ... 1810 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Within the cathedral are plaques, carvings, monuments and statues dedicated to a wide range of people. The bulk are related to the British military, including several lists of servicemen who died in action, the most recent being the Gulf War. There are special monuments to Admiral Nelson and to the Duke of Wellington in the south transept and north aisle, respectively. Also remembered are poets, painters, clergy and residents of the local parish. There are also lists of the Bishops and cathedral Deans for the last thousand years. C Company, 1st Battalion, The Staffordshire Regiment, 1st UK Armoured Division The 1991 Persian Gulf War was a conflict between Iraq and a coalition force of 34 nations mandated by the United Nations and led by the United States. ... Lord Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, KB (September 29, 1758 – October 21, 1805) was a British admiral who won fame as a leading naval commander. ... Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1 May 1769–14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and statesman, widely considered one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century. ...

St Paul's Cathedral dome from Paternoster Square in 2004.

The cathedral has been the site for many famous funerals, including those of Horatio Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and Winston Churchill. The British Royal Family hold most of their important marriages, funerals and other religious and celebratory functions at Westminster Abbey, but St Paul's was used for the marriage of Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer. Download high resolution version (640x688, 75 KB)St Pauls Cathedral dome from Paternoster Square - London - England - 240404 Photo taken by Tagishsimon on the 24th April 2004 File links The following pages link to this file: St Pauls Cathedral Paternoster Square User:Tagishsimon/Gallery London 240404 Wikipedia:List of... Download high resolution version (640x688, 75 KB)St Pauls Cathedral dome from Paternoster Square - London - England - 240404 Photo taken by Tagishsimon on the 24th April 2004 File links The following pages link to this file: St Pauls Cathedral Paternoster Square User:Tagishsimon/Gallery London 240404 Wikipedia:List of... Paternoster Square is an urban development north of St Pauls Cathedral in the City of London. ... Lord Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, KB (September 29, 1758 – October 21, 1805) was a British admiral who won fame as a leading naval commander. ... Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1 May 1769–14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and statesman, widely considered one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century. ... The Right Honourable Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS (30 November 1874–24 January 1965) was a British statesman, best known as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. ... The Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster (Westminster Abbey), a mainly Gothic church, on the scale of a cathedral, is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English monarchs. ... HRH The Prince of Wales His Royal Highness The Prince Charles, Prince of Wales (Charles Philip Arthur George Mountbatten-Windsor) (born 14 November 1948), the eldest son of HM Queen Elizabeth II and HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, is Heir Apparent to the thrones of the United Kingdom... Diana, Princess of Wales (Diana Frances Mountbatten-Windsor, née Spencer) was the first wife of HRH The Prince Charles, Prince of Wales. ...

Sir Christopher Wren
Said, "I am going to dine with some men.
If anyone calls,
Say I am designing St Paul's."
      —A clerihew by Edmund Clerihew Bentley A clerihew is a humorous verse, rather similar to a limerick, that generally uses the name of a well known person at the end of the first or second line. ... E. C. Bentley (July 10, 1875 – March 30, 1956), was a popular English novelist and humorist of the early twentieth century, and the inventor of the clerihew, an irregular form of humorous verse on biographical topics. ...

In 2001, Britain's memorial service to honour the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks was held at St. Paul's Cathedral, which the British Royal Family and then-U.S. ambassador William Farish attended. He spoke, as did Prince Philip. Farish said just before he resigned as ambassador in 2004 in The Times that this service showed the strong relationship between the US and Britain. 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The September 11, 2001 attacks were a series of coordinated Islamist terrorist attacks carried out in the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. ... HRH The Duke of Edinburgh His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh (Philip Mountbatten, formerly Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark), styled - HRH The Duke of Edinburgh (born 10 June 1921), is the consort of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The masthead of The Times The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom. ...

The cathedral is open to the public, though there is a charge for non-worshipping visitors. In 2000, the cathedral began a major restoration programme, scheduled for completion in 2008, to celebrate the 300th anniversary of its opening. The restoration programme is expected to cost £40 million, and involves not only repair and cleaning of the building, but also improvement of visitor facilities - such as accessibility for the disabled, and provision of additional educational facilities. 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Categories: Buildings and structures stubs ... 2008 is a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar There will be a United States Presidential Election this year; it will be the election of the fourty-fourth president of the United States. ...

St. Paul's in the movies and popular culture

A model of St Paul's Cathedral can be seen in Legoland Windsor, made from Lego bricks. The London Eye in the background is also made of Lego bricks.

Because of its prominent and recognizable form on the skyline, a view which is protected from many vantage points, St. Paul's is often used in movies as part of an "establishing" shot to place the viewers in London. Model of St Pauls Cathedral in London, as seen in Legoland Windsor, 2003-11-01. ... Model of St Pauls Cathedral in London, as seen in Legoland Windsor, 2003-11-01. ... A protected view is the legal requirement within urban planning to preserve the view of a specific place or historic building from another location. ...

It also features specifically in:

• Mary Poppins, where it is the setting of the song Feed the Birds
• Lawrence of Arabia as the venue of Lawrence's funeral.
• Steamboy, seen in scenes with the cathedral.
• 101 Dalmatians
• Peter Pan
• H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds
• Team America: World Police
• The cathedral was prominent in all Thames Television idents from 1968 until 1992 and prominent in its logo until 1997

  This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=St_Paul%27s_Cathedral&action=edit).

Fire Watch by Connie Willis, a Hugo and Nebula winning short story, is set mostly in and around the cathedral during the final months of 1940, when it was targeted in the Blitz. Mary Poppins (right, behind) as portrayed by Julie Andrews in the most famous adaptation of the character. ... Thomas Edward Lawrence (August 16, 1888 – May 19, 1935), also known as Lawrence of Arabia, and (apparently, among his Arab allies) Aurens or El Aurens, became famous for his role as a British liaison officer during the Arab Revolt of 1916–1918. ... Promotional poster for Steamboy Steamboy (2004), is director Katsuhiro Ôtomos second major (anime) release, following Akira. ... 101 Dalmatians is a live-action movie made by the Walt Disney Company in 1996. ... Statue of Peter Pan in St. ... Team America: World Police Team America: World Police is a 2004 movie by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of the Comedy Central television program South Park. ... The classic Thames Television logo (1969 - 1989), featuring a geographically incorrect montage of London landmarks. ... 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Constance Elaine Trimmer Willis (born December 31, 1945) is an American science fiction writer. ... The Blitz, a popular English contraction of the German word Blitzkrieg, was the sustained and intensive bombing of Britain, particularly London, from September 7, 1940 through to May 1941 by the German Luftwaffe in World War II. Although the Blitz is named after Blitzkrieg, it was not an example of...

See also

• List of churches and cathedrals of London
• Paternoster Square
• Tall buildings in London

London has many famous churches and cathedrals, in a density unmatched anywhere else in England. ... Paternoster Square is an urban development north of St Pauls Cathedral in the City of London. ... 30 St. ...

External links

• St Paul's Cathedral homepage (http://www.stpauls.co.uk/) - Official site.

• Explore St Paul's Cathedral (http://www.explore-stpauls.net): Online Virtual Tour with 360-degree panoramas, movies, narration, maps, text and information for schools.

• Wren's various designs (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/society_culture/architecture/gallery_st_pauls.shtml)

• Composition of St Paul's Cathedral (http://www.aiwaz.net/stpauls/)

• Visitor's guide to St Paul's Cathedral (http://www.tiptown.com/cty/london/st-pauls-cathedral.html)