St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul's Cathedral, church built by Sir Christopher Wren and a universally known symbol of London. There has been a cathedral on this site for nearly 1,400 years. The see of London is one of England's oldest, dating from 604. The first bishop, Mellitus, was consecrated by St Augustine. The Saxon cathedral was rebuilt by the Normans after 1090, but a fire in 1136 led to a further rebuilding. The east end, chapter house, and cloister were all rebuilt in Gothic style during the 14th century. The cathedral (England's largest at the time) was refaced and modernized by Inigo Jones in the 1630s, but was reduced to a ruin by the Great Fire of London in 1666.

Wren, appointed architect in 1668, initially proposed a centralized building, in line with contemporary European fashion. However, the conservative taste of the clergy prevailed and a conventional cruciform plan was eventually adopted. The cathedral was completed in 1710. The fittings include magnificent stalls and an organ case carved by Grinling Gibbons, though the mosaic decorations are Victorian and the High Altar dates from 1959. The central dome is lined by a gallery popularly known as the Whispering Gallery, from the way in which sound is amplified in the dome. St Paul's is a major focus for state occasions. Both the Duke of Wellington and Lord Nelson are buried there.