ST PAUL'S CATHEDRAL

The masterpiece of architect Christopher Wren, who rebuilt it after the Great Fire of 1666, the present cathedral is in fact the fifth to be built on this site since the first church dedicated to St. Paul was erected in 604. It became the first Anglican cathedral in 1534, and its chancel has since served as a benchmark for Anglican churches throughout the country. Restoration of the cathedral was decided upon shortly before the fire, and finally reconstruction began in 1675 and was completed in 1710. Wren had already proposed plans for the restoration, and he saw the work through to completion at the age of nearly 80 - in other words, it was his life's work. He is buried there. The layout of the church is in the shape of a cross, and you enter through the vast nave, which opens onto the dome and choir. The architecture is largely inspired by the Italian Renaissance and Baroque periods. Its majestic dome stands proudly in the middle of the City, its white stone glinting in the sunlight. Wren had in mind a dome that could be seen from afar, but he also wanted the interior paintings to be visible from the cathedral floor. So he built two domes, one inside, with only the concave part visible, and one outside, with only the convex part visible. The dome is reached by an interminable staircase leading to the Whispering Gallery. Its name derives from a resonance phenomenon that allows you to hear a whisper from the other side. Another set of steps and a staircase later, you'll reach the second gallery, the Stone Gallery, and finally the Golden Gallery, this time outside the cathedral, offering a 360° view of the capital. It's well worth the effort (530 steps), especially in fine weather, as you'll find yourself overlooking the city center. The cathedral rises to a height of 110 m, or 365 feet. Finally, discover the cathedral's basement, which houses the crypt, the pantheon of the nation's great men. In the center of the crypt lies Admiral Nelson's tomb, adorned with a crown carved from the mast of L'Orient, the French ship destroyed at the Battle of Aboukir. In the painters' corner are the tombs of Turner, Reynolds and Lawrence, as well as monuments to Constable, Van Dyck and William Blake. At the eastern end, the chapel of the Order of the British Empire was built to pay tribute to those who fought in the First World War.