St Paul's Cathedral
The St Paul 's Cathedral is a cathedral in London, capital of Britain. It is located in the district of City of London about 300 m north of the River Thames and is the seat of the Diocese of London in the Church of England. The St. Paul's Cathedral is one of the largest cathedrals in the world, next to Westminster Abbey it is also considered the most famous church in the British capital. The building today is a baroque building, which was built after 1666, instead of in the Great Fire of London destroyed the old St. Paul's Cathedral.
- 2.1 Floor Plan
- 2.2 Coupling
- 2.3 stalls
- 2.4 crypt
History
Old Cathedral
Was located at the site of the present St. Paul's Cathedral probably already the first St. Paul Episcopal Church consecrated in London, which was built by Mellitus 604 made of wood. They burned down 675 and has been rebuilt a few years later in wood. After another fire damages the Normans in 1087 began a new building, which has been constantly reshaped by more fire damage and alterations in the course of the Middle Ages. Despite construction work on the extension of the nave of the cathedral was consecrated in 1300. After completion of the nave in 1314, the church was one of the longest and highest of its time: the building was 181 m long and 149 m high. During the religious unstable times after Henry VIII the decline of the church began. The equipment was partially destroyed, and 1561, the tower was struck by lightning victim. But it was only built a new portico. Further changes were still being discussed, as the old Paul's Cathedral was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666.
Wren's new
After the Great Fire the architect Sir Christopher Wren took over the plans for the rebuilding of the city. For the cathedral in 1666, he planned a long central to the plan of a Greek cross with a dome, which was rejected as too radical and too expensive, as are the subsequent revisions of his design, which led to the construction of a large scale model 1:24, the so-called Great model, which is still shown in the cathedral. It was his design of 1676 was adopted. Wren was planning a long building with a central transept, over which he foresaw a high tower. Under this plan, the construction was started, but many plan changes during the construction of this initial plan did practically only the ground plan dimensions left. Instead of Vierungsturmes Wren could still enforce its dome idea from the first drafts. The west portico of the main entrance to the cathedral, was planned after 1703 and crowned until the completion of the cathedral in 1708 with two Uhrtürmchen.
Wrens adopted design of 1675
Wrens actually exported Cathedral
The St. Paul's Cathedral is often a venue for important state ceremonies and public events: the 1806 state funeral of Lord Nelson to the celebrations of the Golden Jubilee in 2002 by Queen Elizabeth II; 1981 were married in the Cathedral of Lady Diana and Prince Charles. In the crypt of the cathedral many famous Britons have been buried or perpetuated by a monument. It is one of the most visited attractions in London.
Building and equipment
Ground plan
The cathedral has a cruciform base, which is oriented towards east to west. In the center of this cross is a dome, on which a 750 -ton lantern is ending in 111 m height. 111 m correspond to 365 feet, one foot for each day of the year. You have to climb 528 steps to get to the highest point.
Dome
As is usual with multi-layered modern domed churches, the light shines indirectly through the oculus of the dome inner shell into the room. To derive the tremendous burden of the lantern, is located between the outer and inner dome, a conical stone structure resting on the massive Vierungspfeilern. After all, Wren was the destination for the largest Protestant church that the lantern is greater than that in St. Peter's Basilica. At the dome base, 30 m height in the church an annular dealing with a diameter of 34 m, the so-called Whispering Gallery, the whispering gallery. The sound is here reflected by the curved walls to the opposite side. Where the curved wall also focuses the sound at the inner edge of the gallery. In this way, whispered words on the opposite side, are to be understood.
Choir stalls
The carvings of the choir stalls are from Grinling Gibbons, the wrought iron rood screen by Jean Tijou. It was not until 1890, the glass mosaics were completed on the ceiling above the choir by William Blake Richmond. The high altar, built according to plans Wrens, is the work of Stephen Dykes Bower and Godfrey Allan, who completed it in 1958.
Crypt
Under the church is a spacious basement, which extends under the entire length of the nave. To the east of this crypt is located beneath the choir since 1960, the chapel of the Order of the British Empire. At the west end of the basement and the Cathedral Museum facilities are located for visitors to the Cathedral ( as souvenir shops and toilets). In the area between the chapel and the Order of the tourist infrastructure are numerous tombs and monuments of significant figures in British history, of which the monumental sarcophagi for the Duke of Wellington and Admiral Lord Nelson are particularly noteworthy.
Tombs at Saint Paul's
Both in the present cathedral and in its 1666 predecessor destroyed many important people were buried. Among them are:
- Admiral David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty ( grave in the crypt )
- Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood ( grave in the crypt )
- Sir Alexander Fleming ( grave in the crypt )
- Charles George Gordon
- William Holman Hunt ( grave in the crypt )
- Admiral John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe ( grave in the crypt )
- John of Gaunt, father of King Henry IV ( buried in the old cathedral )
- Henry de Laci, 3rd Earl of Lincoln ( buried in the old cathedral )
- Admiral Lord Nelson ( grave in the crypt )
- Sir Philip Sidney ( buried in the old cathedral )
- Sir Arthur Sullivan ( grave in the crypt )
- Sir Lawrence Alma -Tadema ( grave in the crypt )
- Joseph Mallord William Turner ( grave in the crypt )
- John Weldon ( buried in the old cathedral )
- Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington ( grave in the crypt )
- Field Marshal Garnet Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley ( grave in the crypt )
- Sir Christopher Wren ( grave in the crypt )
Not buried in St Paul's are Winston Churchill ( buried at his childhood home Bladon near Oxford ) and Florence Nightingale ( buried in East Wellow, Hampshire ). Both, however, have a monument in the crypt of St. Paul's.
Organ
The first organ was built in the 17th century by the organ builder Bernard Smith, an immigrant from Germany. The cost of the instrument, which was located in the eastern part of the cathedral, amounted to about 2,000 pounds. The organ had 27 stops and remained unchanged until 1830.
In 1872 was built by the organ builder Henry Willis, a new instrument, with about 200 pipes of the organ - Smith were reused and are preserved to this day. Conceived by architect Wren organ case was divided and supplemented. The new instrument had now four manual divisions and pedal; the tracker action were pneumatically. Over time the instrument has been expanded several times and reorganized and equipped with electric tracker action.
From 1972 to the organ by the organ builder Mander organ ( London) has been extensively revised and expanded, in particular with a view to better sound coverage of the entire church interior. In this context, among others, the trumpets in the West plant were added, the sound especially to royal occasions. Were completed the work in 1977, on the occasion of the Silver Jubilee of the Queen. The organ is divided into three parts: The Chancel Section, the dome section and the West Section. All three parts are the main console controlled. The Chancel Section, the actual organ is on the left and right of the sanctuary. The dome section is in the dome and support as the West Section congregational singing in the nave. In the West Section is also the famous Royal Trumpets found in 16 ', 8 ' and 4 ' position. The organ has 105 registers
- Pairing: Normal Couplers: II / I, III / I, IV / I, V / I, IV / II, II / III, IV / III, V / III, III / IV, V / IV, I / P, II / P, III / P IV / P V / P
- Superoktavkoppeln: II / II, IV / IV, IV / P
- Suboktavkoppeln: II / II, IV / IV,
Ringing
In the north -west tower of the cathedral are twelve bells that can be heard in the traditional rollover ringing. The bells were cast in 1878 and funded by donations from companies. The smallest bell ( the treble ) weighs about 400 kg; the largest bell ( the tenor ) weighs over three tons.
Next to it is in the bell tower "the banger ", which was cast in 1700 by Philip Wightman. It is rung regularly before the celebration of the Eucharist at 08:00 clock.
In the south- west tower contains more bells: one bell Great Paul, the largest bell in Britain, weighing 16.5 tonnes. In addition, there hang the Uhrglocken, inter alia, the great bell Great Tom from 1706, with a weight of 5 tons.
Trivia
1990 jumped Russell Powell ( former member of the Royal Marines) with a parachute from the Whispering Gallery of St Paul's Cathedral in London from a height of 102 feet (about 31.1 meters ). This was the hitherto lowest jump ( base jumping ) within a building. He escaped undetected with a waiting car and was after the publication of his identity ( by an entry in the Guinness Book of Records) not be prosecuted by the police because his action was time-barred. Other sources give reasons for his arrest prevented so that he said, the cathedral is a public place and he did not hurt anyone.