St Paul’s Cathedral: the dome that survived both a great fire and the Blitz
Sul sito di St Paul’s, a Londra, sorge una cattedrale fin dal 604 d.C., quando Melito fu consacrato primo vescovo da Agostino di Canterbury. La cattedrale medievale, la cosiddetta “Old St Paul’s”, andò in gran parte distrutta nel Grande Incendio di Londra del settembre 1666. Sir Christopher Wren ricevette l’incarico della ricostruzione nel 1669, con un progetto approvato nel 1675; i lavori proseguirono fino al 1710, quando il figlio di Wren pose l’ultima pietra sulla lanterna della cupola, con dichiarazione ufficiale di completamento del Parlamento il 25 dicembre 1711. Wren fu sepolto nella cripta della cattedrale, dove una lapide reca l’iscrizione latina “Lector, si monumentum requiris, circumspice” (“Lettore, se cerchi il suo monumento, guardati intorno”). La cupola, alta 111 metri fino alla croce sommitale, fu tra le più grandi del mondo alla sua epoca, costruita con una struttura a tre gusci ingegnosamente concepita da Wren; al suo interno, la Whispering Gallery, raggiungibile con 259 gradini, permette di sentire un sussurro dall’altra parte della galleria. Durante il Blitz, St Paul’s sopravvisse ai bombardamenti tedeschi grazie anche a una squadra di volontari antincendio: la celebre fotografia “St Paul’s Survives”, scattata da Herbert Mason la notte tra il 29 e il 30 dicembre 1940 e pubblicata sul Daily Mail, la mostra emergere intatta da una coltre di fumo. Qui si tennero il funerale di stato di Winston Churchill nel 1965 e il matrimonio del principe Carlo e Lady Diana nel 1981, e nella cripta riposano l’ammiraglio Nelson e il duca di Wellington.
About St Paul’s Cathedral
St Paul’s Cathedral, in London, occupies a site that has held a cathedral since 604 CE, when Mellitus was consecrated as the first bishop by Augustine of Canterbury; the medieval structure known as Old St Paul’s was largely destroyed in the Great Fire of London in September 1666. Sir Christopher Wren was assigned the task of rebuilding in 1669, his accepted design dating to 1675, with construction continuing until 1710, when Wren’s son placed the final stone atop the lantern, and Parliament formally declared the cathedral complete on 25 December 1711. Wren himself is buried in the crypt, beneath a plaque bearing the Latin inscription “Lector, si monumentum requiris, circumspice” — “Reader, if you seek his monument, look around you.” The cathedral’s dome, rising 365 feet (111 metres) to the cross at its summit, ranked among the largest in the world at the time, its ingenious triple-shell construction concealing a structural brick cone reinforced with iron chains between an inner and outer dome; inside, the Whispering Gallery, reached by 259 steps, allows a whisper spoken against its curved wall to be heard clearly on the opposite side. During the Blitz, St Paul’s survived repeated German bombing raids, aided by a dedicated volunteer fire-watch; the iconic photograph “St Paul’s Survives,” taken by Herbert Mason on the night of 29-30 December 1940 and published in the Daily Mail, captured the cathedral’s dome emerging intact from a sea of smoke, becoming one of the most reproduced images of the war. The cathedral has hosted major national events including Winston Churchill’s 1965 state funeral and the 1981 wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer, and its crypt holds the tombs of Admiral Lord Nelson and the Duke of Wellington alongside Wren’s own grave.
Key facts
- 604 CE: the site’s first recorded cathedral, under Bishop Mellitus
- 1666: Old St Paul’s largely destroyed in the Great Fire of London
- 1675-1710/11: Christopher Wren’s rebuilding of the current cathedral
- 111-metre dome, one of the largest in the world at the time of construction
- 29-30 December 1940: the cathedral survives the Blitz, captured in the iconic “St Paul’s Survives” photograph
- 1965 and 1981: Winston Churchill’s state funeral and the wedding of Charles and Diana
- Crypt burials: Admiral Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, and Christopher Wren himself
History
St Paul’s Cathedral’s reconstruction under Christopher Wren, following the near-total destruction of its medieval predecessor in the Great Fire of London, stands as one of the defining achievements of English Baroque architecture, its engineering innovations in dome construction influencing church design across Britain for generations. Its survival through the Blitz, immortalised in Herbert Mason’s photograph, transformed the cathedral into an enduring symbol of London’s resilience during the Second World War, a status it has carried into its continued role as the setting for the nation’s most significant state occasions.
What you see
Wren’s Baroque facade, with its paired columns and twin west towers, rises toward the cathedral’s defining feature, the great dome, whose triple-shell engineering allowed it to achieve a scale and lightness unusual for its era. Inside, the Whispering Gallery encircles the dome’s interior base, while the crypt below houses the tombs of Nelson, Wellington and Wren, alongside memorials to countless other notable British figures.
Practical information
- Opening hours: generally open daily except Sundays for tourist visits, with seasonal variation; admission fee applies; check current hours before visiting
- Address: St Paul’s Churchyard, London, England
Getting there
St Paul’s Cathedral stands in the City of London, easily reached via St Paul’s Underground station. GPS: 51.5138° N, 0.0983° W.
Nearby
- Millennium Bridge — pedestrian bridge linking St Paul’s to the Tate Modern across the Thames
- Museum of London — nearby museum of the city’s history
- City of London — London’s historic financial district, surrounding the cathedral
Sources
- Wikipedia — “St Paul’s Cathedral” (en.wikipedia.org)
- Wikipedia — “St Paul’s Survives” (en.wikipedia.org)
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — “Saint Paul’s Cathedral, London” (britannica.com)
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