St Paul's by day by Nop Briex

About "St Paul's by day"

by Nop Briex

About the artwork

I have been to London many times. A breathtaking city to paint there with often friendly and sociable reaction from passers-by. Across the Thames especially in the main square of the Tate, St Paul's Cathedral is beautiful to paint. On the site of the cathedral there was originally a wooden church built in 604 already dedicated to the Apostle Paul. Several times the building was damaged or destroyed, including a fire in 675, but each time it was rebuilt. The building also burned down during the Great Fire of London in 1666. Although it would have been within the realm of possibility to reconstruct the building at that time, it was decided to build an entirely new cathedral in the modern style.

Sir Christopher Wren's first design for a new cathedral in the shape of a Greek cross was rejected in 1669 as too radical. His second design of 1673 also failed to find approval. The third design was approved in 1673 and construction began in 1675. The cathedral was completed in 1710. During World War II, it was targeted by German bombing raids during the Blitz. It was hit by a bomb on October 9, 1940, but the damage was limited.

A number of famous people are buried in the cathedral, including Admiral Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and Christopher Wren, the cathedral's architect. Winston Churchill was buried there. At Winston Churchill's funeral, the "Great Tom" rang. , the largest bell in the cathedral, which is customary only at the death of royals and bishops. Samuel Johnson has a statue there, as does Florence Nightingale.

Although the British royal family usually conducts its weddings, funerals, coronations and commemorations at Westminster Abbey, St Paul's was the site of Crown Prince Charles' marriage to Lady Diana Spencer.