 A Cathedral dedicated to St. Paul has been in London since 604 AD. The current Cathedral (the fourth to occupy this site) was designed by the architect Sir Christopher Wren and was built between 1675 and 1710. Its predecessor was destroyed in 1666 in the Great Fire of London. St Paul's Cathedral is the cathedral of the Diocese of London. Important services held at St. Paul's have included the funerals of Lord Nelson and Sir Winston Churchill; Jubilee celebrations for Queen Victoria; peace services marking the end of the First and Second World Wars; the Service of Remembrance and Commemoration for the 11th September 2001; the 80th and 100th birthdays of Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mother; and the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, to Lady Diana Spencer. In the crypt are effigies and fragments of stone that pre-date the Cathedral, relics of medieval times. The 1695 organ which Mendelssohn once played is still in use. The beautiful mosaics inside are the result of Queen Victoria’s mid-19th century complaint that the interior was 'dreary, dingy and undevotional'. |