Old St Paul's

Old St Paul's was the principal cathedral of London from the Anglo-Saxon period through the medieval era until its destruction in 1666. The church stood as a focal point for royal, ecclesiastical, and civic life in England, witnessing events connected to the Anglo-Saxons, Norman Conquest, Plantagenet politics, the English Reformation, and the English Civil War. Its site later became the location for a new cathedral designed by Sir Christopher Wren.

History

The origins trace to a bishopric associated with Mellitus and the mission of St Augustine of Canterbury under the aegis of King Æthelberht of Kent and links to the Gregorian mission. Early timber and stone churches gave way to larger masonry works during the reigns of Ethelred the Unready and later rulers, including royal patronage from King Alfred the Great and Edward the Confessor. A major rebuild followed the Norman Conquest under the episcopate of Maurice (bishop of London) and bishops such as Herbert de Losinga and Ralph de Diceto; the cathedral functioned alongside the Tower of London and the Old Bailey as a locus of urban authority. Throughout the Anarchy (England) and the Barons' Wars the fabric and chapter of the cathedral faced political pressures under Stephen, King of England and Henry II of England. The medieval period saw expansion under bishops like Roger Niger and Fulk Basset, while royal ceremonies including associations with Henry III of England and Edward I reinforced its status. During the English Reformation bishops such as Stephen Gardiner and Nicholas Ridley navigated doctrinal shifts tied to monarchs Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. The cathedral chapter interacted with institutions including Westminster Abbey, the Canons of Windsor, and the Guildhall, London. Tensions in the seventeenth century involving Charles I of England and Parliament culminated alongside urban disasters culminating in the Great Fire of London (1666), which consumed the medieval fabric.

Architecture and Design

Medieval phases included Anglo-Saxon timber-work later replaced by Norman stone under influences from Canterbury Cathedral and continental masons with experience at Durham Cathedral and Salisbury Cathedral. The plan featured a long nave with aisles, transepts, a choir, and successive eastern presbyteria reflecting liturgical developments akin to those at Gloucester Cathedral and York Minster. Structural elements, including flying buttresses, ribbed vaulting, and a wooden spire, drew comparisons with the ongoing Gothic innovations at Notre-Dame de Paris and Chartres Cathedral. Stonemasons from regions linked to Bayeux and Caen contributed masonry work familiar to other Norman projects like Winchester Cathedral. The monumental west front included sculptures and a portico echoing influences seen at Lincoln Cathedral. Interiors contained tomb-chapels and chantry foundations resembling arrangements at Bath Abbey and Wells Cathedral; the choir stalls, rood screen, and misericords were comparable to those at Exeter Cathedral and Gloucester Cathedral. The cathedral precinct adjoined civic features such as Paternoster Row and the medieval London Wall.

Services and Community Role

As the episcopal seat of the Bishop of London, the cathedral hosted coronation-associated services, royal funerals, and synodal assemblies parallel to convocations at York Minster and commissions involving the Archbishop of Canterbury. Liturgies evolved from Roman Rite practice after the mission of St Augustine of Canterbury through medieval Sarum usages associated with Salisbury Cathedral, then through the liturgical reforms of Thomas Cranmer and the Book of Common Prayer (1549). The chapter supported charitable activities linked to urban hospitals such as St Bartholomew's Hospital and Christ's Hospital, and worked with London guilds including the Worshipful Company of Mercers and the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths. The cathedral hosted civic ceremonies with the Lord Mayor of London and events near Cheapside, influencing peregrinations like those of William of Wykeham. Preaching at the cathedral featured figures connected to John Wycliffe and later John Donne-era clergy, while the choir and liturgical music had links to composers associated with the English Cathedral Choral Tradition.

Art, Monuments, and Memorials

The interior displayed tombs and effigies of monarchs, bishops, and nobles comparable to monuments at Canterbury Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. Notable burials and memorials included episcopal tombs with ornate alabaster work reminiscent of pieces at Tomb of Edward the Confessor and funerary brasses like those found in St Albans Cathedral. Chantry chapels contained altarpieces and painted glass windows produced by workshops with stylistic ties to continental centers such as Ghent and Bruges. The nave and transepts housed monumental brasses, carved screens, and liturgical plate comparable to collections in Lincoln Cathedral and St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. Memorial inscriptions recorded civic benefactors who also endowed institutions like Magdalen College, Oxford and All Souls College, Oxford.

Damage, Restoration, and Preservation

The fabric suffered episodic damage from fires, lightning, and political turmoil, including assaults during events like the Peasants' Revolt and the iconoclasm associated with Puritanism during the English Civil War. Post-Reformation alterations removed or altered medieval imagery in line with statutes issued under Edward VI and enforcement by figures such as William Laud. The final catastrophic loss occurred in the Great Fire of London (1666), which wrought destruction alongside the loss of parish records and artefacts similar to losses at St Mary-le-Bow and St Bride's Church. Subsequent debates involved figures including Christopher Wren, Robert Hooke, and municipal authorities such as the City of London Corporation, resulting in the decision to replace rather than fully repair the medieval cathedral. Archaeological investigations and antiquarian interests by John Stow and later scholars led to preservation of fragments and compilation of plans influencing conservation practice at sites like Roman London and collections in the British Museum. Modern preservation initiatives reference comparative medieval reconstructions at Lichfield Cathedral and archival work within the National Archives.

Category:Churches in London