 |
St. Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral is a cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, and the seat of the Bishop of London.
The See of London dates from AD 604, and its cathedral has always been situated on Ludgate Hill and dedicated to Saint 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.
The first cathedral was built by the Saxons in wood. It burned down in AD 675 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.
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. The church was completed in 1240 but a change of heart soon led to an enlargement programme which was not completed until 1314.
By the 16th century the building was decaying and 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.
"Old St Paul's" was finally ruined in the Great Fire of London of 1666, and a decision was taken to build a new cathedral in a modern style.
The task of designing a replacement structure was assigned to Christopher Wren in 1668, and building work began in June of 1675. This design included the large central dome and the towers at the West end. The cathedral was completed on October 20, 1708 and has survived until the present day, despite being targeted during the Blitz (it was struck by bombs on October 10, 1940 and April 17, 1941 but survived).
The cathedral is built of Portland stone and 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. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Pauls_Cathedral)
|
 |
