St. Paul's Cathedral

By Krista Walrath

St. Paul’s Cathedral is located at the top of Ludgate Hill. De Saussure says the building “is the most truly magnificent of all of London and England” (p. 75). The medieval version of the church was destroyed during the Great Fire of 1666. This new Cathedral was finally finished in 1697 after 50 years of building and £101,300 in materials and labor. Shaped like a cross, St. Paul’s is 700 feet long and 150 feet wide. 

The main entrance to the church is on the western side. There are two porticoes which are stories of a building supported by columns. Above the second portico is a pediment where St. Paul is featured on the Highest point.

There are two towers on either side of the main entrance. On the right tower, there is a clock. De Saussure claimed that it was, “said to be the most reliable in London” (p. 75). On the Grounds in front of the Cathedral there is a white marble sculpture of Queen Anne. She is in her royal robes, has a scepter in her hand and a crown on her head.

There is a central tower over the Cathedral that is 300 feet in height. On the top of this central tower is a dome covered by lead. From this height, it is said “on a fine day, when the atmosphere is clear, you can see the whole of London and also the Thames” (p. 76).

In the cathedral, many columns and pilasters can be seen. De Saussure talks about the services that happen in the choir of St. Paul’s and he states that it is “shut off by a beautiful screen of various kinds of marble with a bronze door. This part of the church contains many fine sculptures in wood and in stone, and above the altar is an excellent piece of painting by Kneller, “The Conversion of St. Paul.”” (pp. 77-78). 

Sources:

César de Saussure. A Foreign View of England in the Reigns of George I and George II. London: J. Murray, 190

Wikipedia