St. Paul's, the cathedral of the Bishop of London, is the masterpiece of Sir Christopher Wren, a dignified edifice in a Renaissance style, dominated by the famous dome. The Portland stone of which it is built is picturesquely bleached and stained by the London climate and London smoke. Its exterior length is 515 feet; its west front, with two towers, each 221 feet high, is 180 feet wide. Internally it is 479 feet long, 250 feet wide across the transepts. The nave, 102 feet across (including the aisles), is 89 feet high. The dome is 102 feet in diameter, and the total height from the pavement of the church to the top of the cross above the ball is 365 feet. The area of St. Paul's is 59,700 square feet; that of St. Peter's in Rome 227,000 square feet. St. Paul's is peculiarly the national cathedral of England. It has been the scene of many stately ceremonials both of national rejoicing and national mourning, and it ranks second only to Westminster Abbey as a burial-church for the illustrious dead. The memorials of warriors are especially numerous, and many painters are buried here. Here are the tombs of Nelson and Wellington, and here rest Reynolds and Turner, surrounded by the graves of many famous scholars, writers, and politicians.
