BEAUTIFUL THINGS TO SEE

 Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about 

Facts about St. Paul's Cathedral

From state funerals to exciting art installations, St. Paul's Cathedral embraces tradition and innovation and remains a popular site for tourists. So, as one of the star attractions on The London Pass, here are a few facts about St. Paul's Cathedral to help you prepare for your visit.  

St Paul's Cathedral is the fourth church to stand on the site

Dating all the way back to 604 AD, the land that St Paul's Cathedral stands upon has been consecrated ground for a very long time, with three different predecessors. The Great Fire of London in 1666 saw the Cathedral's previous iteration destroyed. Sir Christopher Wren, an architect instrumental in rebuilding the city, designed the version that exists today.

The dome is one of the largest in the world

Joining the likes of the Roman Pantheon, St Paul's Cathedral boasts one of the biggest domes in the world at 366 feet high. Scale hundreds of steps to the top and bask in the architecture - don't forget to spend some time in its famous Whispering Gallery on the way up.

The Whispering Gallery transmits the quietest whisper across the dome

Due to the specific design of the cathedral's dome, sound carries incredibly well across the Whispering Gallery - a walkway thirty metres up. Try it for yourself with a friend and see how quietly you can whisper to one another from the opposite sides.

Martin Luther King once gave a sermon at St Paul's Cathedral

In 1964, Martin Luther King was invited to speak by Canon John Collins. The congregation totalled over three thousand, all packed into the Cathedral. Aside from being an activist, Martin Luther King was also a Baptist minister and he spoke about three different approaches to life in a sermon now known as The Three Dimensions to a Complete Life.

St Paul's art collection spans different art periods, all the way up to the present day

Besides being a work of art in itself, St Paul's is home to many gorgeous pieces ranging different time periods. Henry Moore's Madonna and Child sculpture and the Victorian mosaics trailing the walls are accompanied by modern works such as Gerry Judah's thought-provoking white crosses and Ian Hamilton Finlay's neon piece L'étoile dans son étable de lumiere.

And as always have a chilled day from the Viking