St. Paul's Cathedral

St. Paul's Cathedral, London Want to add to this page? Click EasyEdit to update this page! (Don't see the EasyEdit button above? <a href="/#signin" target="_self">Sign in</a> or <a href="/accountnew" target="_self">Sign up</a>

(large pics on left and small pics & text on the right.)

Modern St. Paul's (5th construction, by Christopher Wren) St. Paul's before the Great Fire of 1666 (note the spire still stands) Painting depticing St. Paul's Cross, c. 1614 Plaque and paver stone marking the site of Paul's Cross	At the time of the Tudors the cathedral was in its fourth incarnation. (The first St. Paul's had been built in the 7th century A.D.) The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of London, a title once held by Cardinal Wolsey. St. Paul's Cathedral was the center of much of the religious turmoil of 16th-century London. A pulpit was constructed outside the south wall of the cathedral called "Paul's Cross", where sermons against Martin Luther were given, heretics were forced to publicly recant, and Protestant books were burned. The cross was destroyed by the Puritans in 1643 during the English Civil War. After the Reformation the Cathedral fell into disrepair and the once elaborate Catholic art and decorations of the church were whitewashed over to comply with Protestant doctrine. In 1549 a radical Protestant mob destroyed many of the remaining interior decorations and in 1561 the spire was struck by lightning and never replaced. The St. Paul's as it was known to the Tudors was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. Despite the Reformation, St. Paul's remained a London landmark and was the locale of historic moments during the Tudors. In 1537 a Te Deum was sung on the occasion of Jane Seymour having become pregnant. In 1588 Queen Elizabeth prayed in thanksgiving for victory over the Spanish Armada.

LINKS: [St. Paul's Website]