Crowned by one of the largest domes in the world, St Paul's is the masterpiece of Sir Christopher Wren and the enduring emblem of the City of London. It rose from the ashes of the Great Fire to become a symbol of the nation's resilience.
The medieval Old St Paul's was consumed by the Great Fire of London in 1666. In its place Wren designed an entirely new cathedral, built between 1675 and 1710, the only English cathedral of the age to be completed to a single architect's design.
Wren married the classical language of the Continent to English restraint, raising a triple-shelled dome of extraordinary engineering above the crossing, with the Whispering Gallery beneath and the golden ball and cross above.
As the seat of the Bishop of London, St Paul's has hosted the state funerals of Nelson, Wellington and Churchill, jubilees and royal weddings, standing defiant through the bombing of the Blitz.