For more than 1400 years, a cathedral dedicated to St Paul has stood at the highest point in the City.
Frequently at the centre of national events, traditions have been observed at St Paul's and radical new ideas have found expression under the iconic dome.
The present Cathedral, the masterpiece of Britain's most famous architect Sir Christopher Wren, is at least the fourth to have stood on the site. It was built between 1675 and 1710, after its predecessor was destroyed in the Great Fire of London, and services began in 1697.
This was the first cathedral to be built after the English Reformation in the sixteenth-century, when Henry VIII removed the Church of England from the jurisdiction of the Pope and the Crown took control of the life of the church.
The three hundred year old building is therefore a relative newcomer to a site which has witnessed Christian Worship for over one thousand four hundred years.
St Paul’s is the Cathedral of the Diocese of London. The Diocese is made up of five episcopal areas: Willesden, Edmonton, Stepney, London and Kensington. Four of these have an Area Bishop, to whom the Bishop of London, delegates certain responsibilities.
There is a charge for admission to sightseers. Those attending services do so at no cost. People seeking a place to be quiet and pray are admitted to St Dunstan's Chapel free of charge.
Admission on Sundays for all services is free and there is no sightseeing.
