St. Paul's Cathedral

I was feeling a bit better today after a good night's rest, so I headed straight for St. Paul's Cathedral after work on Wednesday.  I was expecting to be impressed, and was not disappointed!

(As you approach the area, the Cathedral dome dominates the landscape)

St. Paul's Cathedral is the Cathedral of the Diocese of London, and the current building is the 5th to stand on this site since 604AD (over 1400 years!).  This building, designed by Sir Christopher Wren, was built between 1675AD and 1710AD, the previous building having been destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666AD.

(A view of the Cathedral from the side, showing the length)

This was the first cathedral to be built after the English Reformation in the sixteenth century, when Henry VIII removed the Church of England from the jurisdiction of the Pope and the Crown took control of the Church's life.

(The view from the front is almost intimidating)

St. Paul's has seen many momentus occaisions in its long history, including the state funeral for Sir Winston Churchill, the Diamond Jubilees of both Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II, as well as the wedding of Lady Diana Spencer to HRH Prince Charles in 1981. Some of the famous people interred in the Church's crypt are Admiral Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, and Sir Christopher Wren himself.  In fact, the Latin inscription on Wren's gravestone reads "If you seek his memorial, look about you".

(The sculptures and detail are beautiful)

Photography is not allowed inside the Cathedral... so I'm probably going to hell for this... but I took some anyway (there were lots of other people taking photos too, it was not crowded, and nobody seemed to mind...). 

Once you've stepped inside, the view is breathtaking and awe-inspiring! I don't think I've ever seen anything like it, there is so much beauty and detail in everything, and the scale is enormous. Coming through the main entrance from the west, you walk through the Nave towards the Dome, with a gorgeous view of the Quire.

(The Quire)

The Quire is where the Choir and the Clergy sit during services.  The ceilings consist of beautiful mosaic designs telling the creation story.  Each mosaic is created from pieces of coloured glass (more than 6 million pieces in total!).

As you reach the Dome, the principal place for worship in the Catherdal, and look up, you are treated to another beautiful view.

(The Dome)

Sir Christopher Wren had intended the Dome to be done in mosaic as well, but it was considered too expensive, elaborate, and time-consuming (and also too Catholic!).  Instead, the dome was painted in monochrome showing images of the life of St. Paul.

The Dome is one of the largest in the world, weighing 65,000lbs, and is 111.3m tall (externally).  The Dome actually has three structures, and interior dome, and internal support cone, and an exterior dome, plus spire.  Wren knew that what would be pleasing to the eye on the inside, would not look as good from the outside, so the exterior dome creates a better landscape visual.

(Schematic of the dome structure)

It is actually possible to climb the stairs to the Golden Gallery at the top (528 steps), and yes, I actually did it myself, and am paying for it today!  I'll have a second post about that journey later.

Continuing with the worship space, at the end of the Quire we have the High Altar.  Built in 1958 based on some of Wren's sketches, it replaces a large Victorian marble altar that was damaged by bombing in WWII.

(High Altar)

Lastly, behind the High Altar, is a "small" chapel area with some beautiful stained glass windows:

There were also several beautfiul statues and sculptures, paintings and monuments, distributed througout the Cathedral floor.  Admission was 15 pounds, but includes an Apple iPod Touch running a custom App with an audio/visual tour of the Cathedral, and it was well worth the money to be able to walk through and be inspired by the beauty and majesty of this place!