St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul's Cathedral stands on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and serves as the seat of the Bishop of London within the Church of England. Sir Christopher Wren designed the present cathedral after the Great Fire of London destroyed its Gothic predecessor in 1666, building it between 1675 and 1710 in the English Baroque style that combined the traditions of English medieval cathedrals with the classical influence of Palladio and Inigo Jones and the baroque architecture of seventeenth century Rome. The building measures 518 feet long and 365 feet high, and its dome remained the tallest structure in London from 1710 until 1963. St Paul's is the second largest church building in the United Kingdom by area and has hosted state funerals, royal weddings, and jubilee services for national figures including Winston Churchill.