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St Pauls Cathedral is astonishing
enough today, the effect that Sir
Christopher Wren's masterpiece must
have had in the 17th century is
impossible to comprehend. A Roman
temple dedicated to Diana most
likely stood on the site where King
Ethelbert built the first wooden
church in AD604. Two more Saxon
cathedrals followed (all three burnt down), before the Normans
constructed 'Old St Paul's' at the
end of the eleventh century. This
vast Gothic building, was destroyed
in the 1666 Great Fire, of London
and was,
startlingly, even larger and taller
than Wren's successor. Today's St
Paul's is one of the few cathedrals
ever to be designed by one
architect, supervised by one master
builder (Mr. Thomas Strong) and built
within their lifetimes (construction
only lasted thirty five years). Wren's epitaph,
inscribed on the wall by his simple
tomb in the crypt, could not be more
pertinent: 'If you seek his monument,
look around you.'
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can arrange a tour of St Pauls
A Cathedral dedicated to St Paul has
overlooked the City of London since
604AD, a constant reminder to this
great commercial centre of the
importance of the spiritual side of
life. The current Cathedral – the
fourth to occupy this site – was
designed by the court architect Sir
Christopher Wren and built between
1675 and 1710 after its predecessor
was destroyed in the Great Fire of
London. Its architectural and
artistic importance reflect the
determination of the five monarchs
who oversaw its building that
London’s leading church should be as
beautiful and imposing as their
private palaces. As the Cathedral of
the capital city, St Paul’s is the
spiritual focus for the Nation. This
is where people and events of
overwhelming importance to the
country have been celebrated,
mourned and commemorated since the
first Service took place in 1697.
Since then important services have
included the funerals of Lord
Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and
Sir Winston Churchill; Jubilee
celebrations for Queen Victoria,
King George V; peace services
marking the end of the First and
Second World Wars; the launch of the
Festival of Britain; the Service of
Remembrance and Commemoration for
the 11th September 2001: the 80th
and 100th birthdays of Queen
Elizabeth, the Queen Mother; the
wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales,
to Lady Diana Spencer and, most
recently, the Thanksgiving for the
Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty the
Queen. Over the centuries, St
Paul’s has changed to reflect
shifting tastes and attitudes.
Decoration has been added and
removed, services have been updated,
different areas have been put to new
uses. Today, the history of the
nation is written in the carved
stone of its pillars and arches and
is celebrated in its works of art
and monuments. In the crypt are
effigies and fragments of stone that
pre-date the Cathedral, relics of a
medieval world. From Wren’s original
vision, Jean Tijou’s beautiful
wrought iron gates of 1700 still
separate the quire from the
ambulatory; children still test the
acoustics in the Whispering Gallery;
and the 1695 organ which Mendelssohn
once played is still in use. The
magnificent mosaics are the result
of Queen Victoria’s mid-19th century
complaint that the interior was
“most dreary, dingy and
un-devotional.” The American
Memorial Chapel stands behind the
High Altar in an area that was
bomb-damaged during the Second World
War – a gesture of gratitude to the
American dead of the Second World
War from the people of Britain. An
altar has now been installed on a
dais in the heart of the Cathedral,
bringing services closer to those
who attend them. Throughout,
St Paul’s has remained a busy,
working church where millions have
come to worship and find peace. It
is a heritage site of international
importance which attracts thousands
of people each year, a symbol of the
City and Nation it serves and, above
all, a lasting monument to the glory
of God. St Paul’s Cathedral is
the cathedral of the Diocese of
London. The Diocese is made up of
five episcopal areas: Willesden,
Edmonton, Stepney, London and
Kensington. Four of these have an
Area Bishop, to whom the Bishop of
London, The Right Reverend and Right
Honourable Richard Chartres,
delegates certain responsibilities.
The Bishops are assisted by
Archdeacons. Archdeaconries are
further divided into deaneries which
are groups of parishes. The Bishop
of Fulham is the Suffragan Bishop
for the whole Diocese. In 2004 the
Diocese celebrates its 1400th
anniversary. |
