St. Paul's Cathedral: the Vision of Christopher Wren

Although natural and simple beauties are among my most favorite parts of England, I find that few things can compare to the amazement I felt upon seeing St. Paul’s Cathedral. It has been called a masterpiece, “one of the world’s best-loved buildings,” and was built by one of the greatest and most prolific architects of London – Christopher Wren (“About”). The present-day edifice took from 1675 to 1710 to build and has stood the test of time, including the blitz of World War 2 (“About”). The process of putting the various used and raw materials together to create such a magnificent cathedral is very difficult to fully comprehend, and it is amazing to consider the artistic genius and vision that was required in order to see the great potential that could become St. Paul’s.

A cathedral dedicated to St. Paul has been on the site since 604 A.D., and the current cathedral is only the fourth building to inhabit the location (“About”). The second St. Paul’s cathedral was, in 1313, the third longest church in Europe – at 596 feet long – and in 1314 it was the tallest cathedral in Europe, standing at 489 feet tall (“St Paul’s”).

Wren became involved with this holy site when he made a proposal for the restoration work that was to be done on the old – third – St. Paul’s Cathedral (Ewin, 6). Wren’s ideas were considered radical, and were looked down upon by the conservative committee members, especially his thoughts on constructing a dome over the top of the crossing – a radical look to add to the London skyline, as well as the country of England, for that day (Ewin, 7). His ideas were, however, accepted as the design, and an estimate was prepared (Ewin, 7). Only 5 days later the Great Fire broke out in a baker’s shop on Pudding Lane, and it carried throughout the city, completely destroying the Old St. Paul’s (“St Paul’s”). When the old cathedral was destroyed, Evelyn described it as “thus lay in ashes that most venerable Church, one of the antientist Pieces of early Piety in the Christian World, beside neere 100 more” (Ewin, 8).

After the fire settled, Wren surveyed the ruins of the previous cathedral which stood on the site in order to tell the Dean of the cathedral, Dr. William Sancroft, a location to make safe for the purpose of temporarily holding services (Ewin, 8). Wren also made a proposal to the King only two weeks after the fire in order to help reconstruct the city, of which the new St. Paul’s would be a focal point (Ewin, 8). After Wren was made Surveyor-General in 1669, he presented his first proposal, although it was rejected by the public and the clergy (Ewin, 9). The design, however, included a rectangular nave where the congregation would be seated in galleries, looking inwards (Ewin, 9). It was rejected on the basis that it was “not grandiose enough to be appropriate to a prosperous capital city” (Ewin, 9). Not discouraged, Wren presented his second proposal in 1673 and called it the Great Model Design (Ewin, 9). This was accepted by the King but rejected by the Commission on the grounds that the shape would not allow the choir to be built before the rest of the cathedral, and also because the stalls would be in a circle (Ewin, 10). Wren’s third attempt included a long cruciform plan which would then allow the choir to be built before the rest of the building, as well as the OK needed to begin work with the assurance that design specifics could be changed as time went on (Ewin, 11). ).

As far as the material that was used for construction of the new St. Paul’s, the old cathedral’s stone and lead was salvaged (Ewin, 11). The first service at the new St. Paul’s was attended in 1697 (“About”). In the mid 19th century Queen Victoria complained of the “dreary and dingy” interior of the church, and the intricate mosaics were installed (“About”).

Works Cited

"About St Paul’s." St. Paul's Cathedral. 2008. Dean and Chapter St. Paul's. 02 Jun 2008 .

Ewin, E.T. Floyd. The Splendour of St. Paul’s. Jarrold and Sons Ltd., Norwich: 1973. book

"St. Paul's Cathedral - Origins." Britain Express. 2008. Britain Express - The UK Travel and Heritage Guide. 18 Jun 2008 .

Inside picture of St. Paul's courtesy of http://www.qedata.se/bilder/historik/stpaul.jpg