St. Paul's Cathedral, London

St Paul's Cathedral is a landmark of London, located atop Ludgate Hill. It is the seat of the see of London. The current building is generally considered the fourth St. Paul's Cathedral in history. It was built in the 1600s. The see itself was established in 604, and its cathedral was located here ever since. In prehistoric times Ludgate Hill was the site of a shrine to the goddess Diana. The first cathedral was a wooden structure, built during the reign of the Saxon dynasty. Several decades later it burned down and had to be rebuilt. In 962 it was destroyed after the Vikings invaded England. It was reconstructed mainly in stone. This was the second St. Paul's.
The third cathedral was begun after the Norman Conquest. This time the construction took over two centuries, and a large part of the building burned in 1136. When it was finally completed, plans were made to enlarge it. The cathedral was sanctified in 1300. At the time it had one of the tallest spires and was the third longest church in Europe, a full 181 m.
The building was falling into ruin in the 16th century, and suffered even more under the rule of Henry VIII. The notoriously anti-Catholic monarch instigated the dissolution of the monasteries, and in line with this policy havoc was wrecked on the cathedral's interior. Westminster Abbey suffered greatly at that time as well. The money meant for this abbey was diverted to St. Paul's Cathedral, which may have given rise to the expression robbing Peter to pay Paul. The cathedral's more ornate structures were all destroyed, and the materials were used to construct other buildings like Somerset House. In 1549 radical Protestant priests incited a rebellion at St. Paul's Cross, the northeast corner of the cathedral's yard. Open-air sermons were often held here. The mob destroyed much of the precious decor. In 1561 the spire was struck by lightning and was never restored. Protestants took this as divine justice and rejoiced in the Lord's supposed displeasure with Catholicism, while Catholics took it as a sign of His anger at the Protestants.
The decision to restore the collapsing cathedral was finally made in the second half of the 17th century. Christopher Wren, who remains in history as Britain's greatest architect, was assigned this task in 1668. He submitted many designs for reconstruction, of which the first few were not approved. An agreement was reached in 1675 and construction began that year. Wren designed a large central dome, a far cry from the previous small dome with spire. The work was completed in 1708. The cathedral survives to this day. It is made of Portland stone and features a stunning façade, a medley of Renaissance and Baroque styles. The dome's design is based on St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. It rises a full 108 m. Wren built three domes in total. The low inner one strikes a balance with the tall outer one, and between them is a cone-like support structure.
The most impressive edifices of the Cathedral are the Whispering Gallery, the Quire and the monument area. The Whispering Gallery is located around the Dome's interior, 259 steps above ground. A whisper against any point in its wall can be heard by someone holding an ear to the point diametrically opposite. This is owed to the specific - and accidental - construction design of the gallery. The Quire is the site of the clergy's stalls, the choir and the organ. This organ is a British monument - it has 138 stops and 7189 pipes, and dates back to the 17th century.
The monument area features statues, plaques and sculptures commemorating distinguished British subjects. Most are servicemen who lost their lives in combat. Among them are Admiral Nelson, who won the battle of Trafalgar, and the Duke of Wellington.
The cathedral is undergoing major restoration for its upcoming 300th year anniversary. The cost is expected to total GBP 40 million. It was for this and other reasons that the cathedral was selected Attraction of the Year 2005 by Ukinbound, an official body supervising tourism in the UK. The attraction was also distinguished for its attentive staff, great value for money and facilities for disabled visitors.
According to a recent study St. Paul's is the best-known and loved building in the UK. As such, it has become an icon of pop culture. It has been featured in H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds, 101 Dalmatians, Peter Pan, Mary Poppins and Lawrence of Arabia (it is where Lawrence was buried). There is also a model of St. Paul's at amusement park LEGOLAND Windsor.