THE Cathedral
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| St. Paul's Cathedral |
Basic Facts:
- Official Name- St. Paul's Cathedral, Cathedral Church of St. Paul the Apostle
- Location- London, England
- Architect- Sir Christoper Wren
- Dates of Construction- 1675 to 1710
An Introduction Video
The inside of the cathedral is very well kept and preserved, an indication of its prominence and importance in London's religious history. The building has many diverse parts of its structure, making it a perfect building for religious purposes.
What is its purpose?
When the cathedral was first built, it functioned as a Catholic church. During Henry VIII’s rule and the Reformation, many religious symbols within the cathedral were destroyed in favor of the Anglican church. The cathedral returned to Catholicism during Mary I’s rule, but Elizabeth I confirmed it as a Protestant church in 1559. Because of its rich history and significance, the cathedral allows eager visitors and tourists into the building. The church is still used for day-to-day church activities, and visitors must pay 20 euros to tour the church and its premises. The church holds an hourly prayer with no charge for worshippers.
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| The original St. Paul's Cathedral |
The Architect: Sir Christopher Wren
Born into a well-off family, Christopher Wren studied at Westminster School in Windsor and completed his university education at Oxford University. Wren's interest in mathematics and physics and invention of new products drove him into architecture. In 1657, he was appointed as a professor for astronomy at Gresham College in London, furthering his interest in the stars. In 1665, before the Great Fire destroyed the old St. Paul's Cathedral, Wren visited Paris where he was impressed by the French and Italian baroque styles. The culmination of his education experience, interests, and his admiration of the baroque style led him to design a cathedral with mathematical beauty, astronomical compatibility, and grand English baroque style, making it a signature building in the city of London.
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| Christopher Wren |
"BBC - History - Sir Christopher Wren". Bbc.Co.Uk, http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/wren_christopher.shtml. Accessed 10 Feb 2019.
The Plans
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| A front-facing drawing plan for St. Paul's Cathedral |
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| An overhead view of the cathedral |
Poley, Arthur F. E. St. Paul's Cathedral, London. 1927.
My Own Drawing
I tried to capture the size comparison between St. Paul's Cathedral and the rest of the buildings (shaded darkly) in London.
The Magnificent Exterior
Today's St. Paul's Cathedral dominates the area in which it stands, demanding attention with its large, central dome which is one of the largest in the world. The cathedral's iconic shape, indicative of the English Baroque style, is an integral part of London's skyline, keeping the religious history of the city very much alive.
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| Today's St. Paul's Cathedral, West Front Dome, two towers joined by a facade. The cathedral was made mostly out of Caen stone. |
The famous dome rises 111 meters and is a result of Wren's fascination with astronomy and the influence of Michelangelo's dome for St. Peter's Basilica. The grandeur of the dome is enhanced by the circular rhythm of the continuous colonnade. The dome contains a balcony, the Stone Gallery, maintaining a lightness in the otherwise heavily adorned dome.
The west front of the cathedral is an intelligent result of making the large cathedral cohesive with the restricted street and area space. The west front is made up of a facade flanked by two towers.
The building stretches outwards in opposite directions from the dome and house offices and functional rooms for visitors and worshippers.
"Architecture Of St Paul's Cathedral | THS Concepts Blog". THS Concepts - Land & Architectural Surveying, https://www.ths-concepts.co.uk/architecture-st-pauls-cathedral/. Accessed 10 Feb 2019.
The Intricate Interior
The interior of the church contains 3 bays, each of which contain a nave and a choir area. The dome is decorated with intricate, gold toned paintings, bringing a heavenly and light view to the cathedral. The length of the building is decorated with multiple textured arches and ceilings which let in large amounts of light, allowing the cathedral to look ethereal.
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| Inside the cathedral, looking towards the choir |
"Architecture Of St Paul's Cathedral | THS Concepts Blog". THS Concepts - Land & Architectural Surveying, https://www.ths-concepts.co.uk/architecture-st-pauls-cathedral/. Accessed 10 Feb 2019.
The Cathedral's Surroundings
The history behind St. Paul’s Cathedral starts with the Roman occupation of the area. It is believed that the Romans had a temple for the goddess Diana where the cathedral was later built. Having the temple and cathedral located right off of the river Thames gave it an easily accessible point, conveying the power of people’s beliefs during their respective times.
The cathedral looms over everything around it and is a significantly famous part of London’s skyline. It demands attention, and its straight vantage point to the Thames connects it to the river and, therefore, the entire city of London, showing the unity of London under the Christian religion when the cathedral was finally built.
The area around the cathedral is ridden with narrow streets and and there is a clear lack of an organized grid, an indication of the extremely fast growth London experienced after the Great Fire of 1666. The establishments around the cathedral are modern, juxtaposing the history of London with its current environment.
"The Evolution Of London: The City's Near-2,000 Year History Mapped". The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/may/15/the-evolution-of-london-the-citys-near-2000-year-history-mapped. Accessed 10 Feb 2019.
The Official Website
The official website for St. Paul's Cathedral introduces the cathedral. It details the worships times observed in the cathedral as well as visiting information. I learned that the cathedral not only takes pride in its history by advertising, but by the respect with which they treat the old building. The building is cleaned every day, a testament to the dedication for preservation of this relic. Preserving buildings like St. Paul's Cathedral is essential to remembering and honoring history, so I agree with the people behind the cathedral's website.
"Home - St Paul's Cathedral". Stpauls.Co.Uk, https://www.stpauls.co.uk. Accessed 10 Feb 2019.
First-hand Experiences
"The pictures really don't prepare you for how large the cathedral really is. It looks really small and typical in pictures, but that is the complete opposite of what I saw. People look tiny next to it, which really puts things into perspective. It's amazing really."
"The details are amazing on the inside. It's a unique combination of colors and texture. I can't image the time it must have taken to get everything to the amount and quality that it is at in the cathedral. I looked at the arches for a solid 10 minutes, trying to absorb all the intricate details!"
My own experience:
It is HUGE. I was surprised by the grandness of it all. For a building of that size and dimension to be built without modern-day technology boggles my mind. From the stone details on the outside to the fantastic, golden paintings on the inside, every detail is perfect, making the cathedral a perfect building to exude the Anglican Church's power at the time the cathedral was built.
Sources:
"Architecture Of St Paul's Cathedral | THS Concepts Blog". THS Concepts - Land & Architectural Surveying, https://www.ths-concepts.co.uk/architecture-st-pauls-cathedral/. Accessed 10 Feb 2019.
"BBC - History - Sir Christopher Wren". Bbc.Co.Uk, http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/wren_christopher.shtml. Accessed 10 Feb 2019.
"Home - St Paul's Cathedral". Stpauls.Co.Uk, https://www.stpauls.co.uk. Accessed 10 Feb 2019.
"Saint Paul's Cathedral | Cathedral, London, United Kingdom". Encyclopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Saint-Pauls-Cathedral-London. Accessed 10 Feb 2019.
"The Evolution Of London: The City's Near-2,000 Year History Mapped". The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/may/15/the-evolution-of-london-the-citys-near-2000-year-history-mapped. Accessed 10 Feb 2019.
Print Sources:
Humphrey, Stephen C, and James Morris. Churches And Cathedrals Of London. New Holland, 2006, pp. 16-23.
Humphrey and Morris, through their vibrant pictures of St. Paul’s Cathedral, give a general account of the cathedral’s history and interior. They write of the cathedral’s workings and of the crypt for Nelson in the cathedral. They describe the intricacy of the paintings and maintain an overall theme of admiration for the colors and details used.
Poley, Arthur F. E. St. Paul's Cathedral, London. 1927.
Poley, in his account describing and detailing the architecture, materials, and build process of St. Paul’s Cathedral, gives a background of the cathedral. He writes about the building’s history regarding a previous, poorly built cathedral and the inception of the new cathedral which was intended on showing the grand power of the church in England after the Great Fire of 1666. His drawings of the building show every major detail of the cathedral, giving a brilliant visual to people of the complexity of the architecture.
