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apollonaut. Built by People Who've Been

Journal / History

History, worship & architecture

A cathedral on Ludgate Hill.
Wren’s dome over the City.

The story of St Paul’s Cathedral, from a church founded in 604 to Christopher Wren’s dome above London.

St Paul’s Cathedral and its great dome seen from the south-east, with trees along the street
St Paul’s Cathedral and its great dome seen from the south-east, with trees along the street.

Old St Paul’s and the Great Fire

A cathedral dedicated to St Paul was founded on Ludgate Hill in 604. Its medieval successor, Old St Paul’s, was begun after a fire in 1087, and it was gutted by the Great Fire of London in September 1666.

St Paul’s Cathedral seen from high above, among the office buildings of the City of London
Looking up into the painted inner dome of St Paul’s Cathedral, ringed with windows

Christopher Wren’s cathedral

Christopher Wren was given the design in 1669, and the first stone of the new cathedral was laid in June 1675. It was consecrated on 2 December 1697, the last stone was set on the lantern in 1708, and Parliament declared the building complete on 25 December 1711.

A church for the nation

The dome and lantern rise 111 metres, and from 1710 until 1963 St Paul’s was the tallest building in London. It survived the Blitz, and it has held the state funeral of Winston Churchill in 1965, the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 and services for royal jubilees.

The quire of St Paul’s Cathedral, with carved stalls and lamps leading to the gilded canopy over the high altar

Continue exploring

Looking up into the painted inner dome of St Paul’s Cathedral, ringed with windowsWren’s cathedralA dome, a crypt and a famous epitaph.The quire of St Paul’s Cathedral, with carved stalls and lamps leading to the gilded canopy over the high altarWhat to see at St Paul’sThe floor, the galleries and the crypt.Plan your visit

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