Europe is full of churches and England is no exception. For example in Londoncan you see the beautiful San Pablo's cathedral, an Anglican temple that occupies the highest point of the English capital and therefore stands out in the skyline de la ciudad.
It was even the tallest building since its construction, in 1710, until 1967. Although it is not the original building completely, there were fires and bombs throughout its history, it is still as beautiful as the one that was designed and built three centuries ago in honor of the apostle Paul.
St Paul's Cathedral
As I said above it is a anglican temple which was designed in the Baroque style and which came to supplant a previous temple that was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. There were other previous churches and the one before the present was built by the Normans.
The Great Fire of London in 1666 destroyed what is now known as Old San Pablo. It was so damaged that it was unfeasible to rebuild it, so it was decided to build a new temple. The commission fell on Sir Christopher Wren and the money was obtained from a carbon tax. After little more than 31 years of works St. Paul's Cathedral was consecrated on December 2, 1697.
The cathedral has a cross-shaped design and Dome, that hides three circular galleries, is its main attraction. The first gallery is at 257 steps, at a height of 30 meters, and is called Whisper Gallery. It has wonderful acoustics. After climbing another 376 steps is the call Stone Gallery with great views to the outside; and finally at about 85 meters high is the Golden Gallery with even more exceptional views.
Beyond the dome, just enter and look up to marvel at its ceilings, all frescoed. Another attractive corner when thinking about visiting the cathedral is the crypt, in the basement of the temple, where it is still possible to see the foundations of the previous churches and where the remains of some British characters rest, among them Winston Churchill, who was Prime Minister during World War II, the grave of the Admiral Nelson, Wellington's and Christopher Wren himself.
Speaking of the war it must be said that the cathedral was lucky and survived most of the German air raids, but twice it was not so lucky. On one occasion, a special team even took out a bomb with a timer that had fallen, just in time, because otherwise, if it had exploded, the church would have been completely destroyed, no longer damaged.
The altar dates from 1958 and is made of oak and marble.
Visit St. Paul's Cathedral
The cathedral is active so it has its times for mass and other religious services. It can be visited from Monday to Saturday. The doors open at 8:30 am, one hour later the galleries open, at 4 in the afternoon the last group of visitors enters and at 4:30 the church closes. Sundays only open to pray.
It is not allowed to film or take photos inside but it is allowed in the external galleries. For the price of admission, then, you can walk inside the church, go up to the Gallery of Whispers, enjoy great views from the three galleries, see the exhibition dedicated to the temple, before and after the Great Fire of London, access multimedia guides or a tour led by an expert guide who talks about the history, treasures and architecture of the cathedral.
All the multimedia guides They are available in several languages, Spanish included. The guided tours They last between 15 and 20 minutes, are taught from Monday to Saturday throughout the day. There is another more extensive visit, lasting 90 minutes, in English, and it is worth it because it includes the Geometric Staircase and the view of the main nave from the Great West Gates. This costs £ 8 more than general admission.
Where the Treasury of the Crypt was there is today an experience called eye which is nothing other than a 270º film that covers 1400 years of history. They are actually three films dedicated to the life of Saint Paul.
On the other hand they are the chapels: there is the beautiful Chapel of All Souls, dedicated to Lord Kitchener, responsible for the restructuring of the English Navy in the First Great War, the Chapel of St. Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, that of St. Michael and St. George, the Chapel of Saint Erkenwald and Saint Ethelburga, that of the Accompanying Knights, that of the Order of the British Empire and the American Memorial.
Finally, you can visit the courtyard of the cathedral, conditioned in 2008, the Chapter House, the Cross of San Pablo, in the northeast courtyard, the West Towers with their pinnacles and the west facade of the cathedral that has a relief dedicated to the saint. with other apostles and evangelists.
If you have any visual impairment or you travel with someone with this problem there is a special visit that allows some objects and places to be touched. They are groups of only six people with a companion and it has no other price but you must book. Lastly, any visitors are not allowed to enter with large purses or briefcases. anything that measures more than 56cm x 45cm x 25cm. There are no lockers and it may be that what you bring will be checked at the entrance.
Here are the prices:
- Adults over 18 years: free walking costs 20 pounds, you pay 17 if you buy online.
- Students and over 60s: 17, 50 and 15 pounds, respectively.
- Children 6 to 17 years old: 8, 50 and 7, 20 pounds.
- Family ticket (one adult and two or three children): 34 and 29 pounds.
What you should do before visiting the Cathedral of San Pablo is to take a tour of the site It is very complete and includes, day by day, the activities of the temple. The morning mass, the Eucharist, how much the choir sings and stuff.