This Anglican cathedral, located on Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the city, has been a spiritual and cultural center for centuries. Its dedication to St. Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church founded in 604 A.D., although the present structure was designed in English Baroque style by the renowned architect Sir Christopher Wren and built between 1676 and 1710, as part of the rebuilding of the city after the Great Fire of 1666.

St. Paul's Cathedral is famous for its imposing dome, which has dominated the London skyline for more than 300 years. At 111 meters high, it was the tallest building in the city from 1710 to 1962. Its innovative construction, conceived by Hooke, makes it one of the largest domes in the world.

In addition to its impressive architecture, St. Paul's Cathedral has witnessed important historical events. It has been the scene of funerals of illustrious figures such as Horatio Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher, as well as royal celebrations and peace services marking the end of world wars.

The task of designing St. Paul's Cathedral presented Christopher Wren with numerous challenges. Not only did he have to create a new place of worship and a symbol for the City of London to replace the old cathedral, but he also had to meet the liturgical requirements of the church and the tastes of the royal patron, while respecting the tradition of medieval churches in England. Wren, with her knowledge of Renaissance and contemporary Italian Baroque trends, as well as her study of the work of François Mansart in France, met these challenges with a series of designs that evolved over five stages.

The first design, based on a circular domed vestibule scheme with a rectangular church, was rejected as insufficiently majestic. The second design, a Greek cross church, also failed to satisfy Anglican liturgical requirements. The third design, depicted in the Great Model of 1673, retained the Greek cross form but extended the nave, although it was criticized for its similarity to other English churches and for the difficulty of building it in stages. The fourth design, finally approved by the king, sought to reconcile Gothic architecture with a more modern style, with a Latin cross plan and a dome over the transept.

The final built design, however, differed considerably from the originally approved design. Wren introduced numerous ornamental changes during the thirty years of construction, the most significant being the dome. Inspired by St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Wren raised a second structure above the original dome, concealing a brick cone between the two and adding a stone lantern at the top. These changes, along with the influence of Mansart's Val-de-Grâce Church, gave St. Paul's dome its distinctive appearance.

The structure of the cathedral, built in a moderate Baroque style, features a nave and chancel separated by an arcade of columns. The central dome, one of the most elegant in Europe, is supported by eight arches that span the nave, chancel and transepts. Inside, the dome and choir apse are decorated with mosaics and illusionistic paintings depicting scenes from the life of St. Paul. The crypt contains numerous memorials and tombs, including that of Christopher Wren, whose inscription declares: "Lector, si monumentum requiris, circumspice" ("Reader, if you seek his monument, look around you").

This cathedral remains an active place of worship, with daily services offering visitors the opportunity to experience its sacred atmosphere.