Founded in 604 AD the St. Paul’s Cathedral is located on Ludgate Hill which is the highest point inside of London. The Cathedral is the Seat of Bishop of London and is also the mother church for the diocese of London.
The Cathedral is one of the most popular sights in all of London. It fills the London Skyline as it stands over 360 feet tall. From the years 1710 until 1962 it was the tallest building in all of London. It is also the second biggest Cathedral in all of the United Kingdom right behind the Liverpool Cathedral.
This is one of the most famous churches in all of the United Kingdom, as it is the house for many memorial services as well as other famous events in the history of not only the UK but of the world. The declarations that stop both World Wars were signed here, as well as the wedding between Prince Charles and Lady Diana. The crypt also lays rest to several famous people throughout history like “Sir Issac Brock”, “The Duke of Wellington”, and “Frederick George Jackson”.
The St. Paul’s Cathedral has also been featured in many hit movies in both the UK as well as in the United States. Such films include Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter, and Mary Poppins. The history and reach of the Cathedral is just mind boggling.
In 1669 the restoration project and restricting of St. Paul’s Cathedral was given over to Sir Christopher Wren. He was given the project because he had worked on several other churches during his time. The redesigns were finished on December 2, 1697 at which time King William III was supposed to give a speech at the Cathedral however, he backed out at the last minute forcing the Bishop of London to present the speech and open the new Cathedral.
The Cathedral is built of Portland stone and has an early Renaissance style to the overall structure. Wren created the dome of the church to resemble the dome at St. Peters Basilica in the Vatican. The dome is also made up of three different domes sitting atop of one another.
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