St Paul's Cathedral (old)

St Paul's Cathedral (old)
Name	St Paul's Cathedral (old)
Location	London, City of London
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Founded	7th century
Demolished	1666

St Paul's Cathedral (old) was the principal Christian cathedral of medieval London on Ludgate Hill and the seat of the Bishop of London until its destruction in the Great Fire of London. Successive edifices occupied the site from a purported 7th-century foundation through the medieval period, culminating in a Romanesque and later Gothic structure that featured prominently in civic, religious, and royal life across the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period.

History

The origins of the cathedral site trace to the Anglo-Saxon period associated with St Augustine of Canterbury and the mission to the Anglo-Saxons, with claims of a 7th-century foundation connected to the Gregorian mission and the episcopacy centred on Londinium. During the Norman Conquest, William the Conqueror and his followers undertook widespread ecclesiastical reorganisation, and the cathedral underwent rebuilding influenced by continental patrons such as Lanfranc and Anselm of Canterbury. In the 11th and 12th centuries the cathedral was expanded during the episcopacies of Herbert de Losinga and Richard de Beaumis, reflecting ties with Canterbury Cathedral and Rochester Cathedral patronage networks. The medieval phase saw interventions under bishops including Maurice and Robert Fitzharding, with liturgical and architectural patronage from monarchs like Henry II and Edward I; the cathedral played roles in events such as coronations and royal funerals tied to the House of Plantagenet and later the House of Tudor. The Reformation, influenced by Henry VIII and Thomas Cranmer, altered its liturgy and administration as the cathedral negotiated shifts brought by the English Reformation. By the 17th century, the fabric showed accumulation of medieval accretions until the conflagration of 1666 following the Great Fire of London, a disaster linked to nearby Pudding Lane and the mayoralty of Sir Thomas Bloodworth.

Architecture and design

The medieval cathedral exhibited a sequence of architectural styles from Romanesque architecture introduced after 1066 to the later English Gothic architecture developments: Early English Gothic, Decorated Gothic, and Perpendicular Gothic. The plan comprised a long nave, transepts, choir, eastern apse, and crypt; structural elements included ribbed vaults, flying buttresses reminiscent of continental models such as Notre-Dame de Paris and Canterbury Cathedral (old) precedents. Fabric campaigns were supervised by master masons and clerics linked to institutions like Westminster Abbey and funded by guilds such as the Worshipful Company of Mercers alongside episcopal patrons including Richard FitzNeal. Interior fittings incorporated stained glass comparable to artisans active at Salisbury Cathedral and sculptural programs that reflected iconography seen in Chartres Cathedral and Lincoln Cathedral. Roof timbers and leadwork paralleled practices at Durham Cathedral while the bell ensemble echoed patterns from St Mary-le-Bow and other London parish churches.

Role in the Church of England

As cathedral of the Diocese of London, the building functioned as the episcopal seat and a centre for episcopal ordinations, synods, and chapter governance associated with figures like Bishop Gilbert Sheldon and Bishop Edmund Grindal. The cathedral chapter comprised canons connected to collegiate foundations such as St Paul's Cathedral School and had liturgical links to Worcester Cathedral and Ely Cathedral usages. In the Reformation and post-Reformation eras, the chapter mediated between royal supremacy asserted by Henry VIII and pastoral needs shaped by leaders including William Laud and Richard Bancroft. The cathedral hosted ecclesiastical courts and charity administration with ties to institutions like the City of London Corporation and the Poor Laws enforcement bodies.

Cultural and civic significance

St Paul's served as a focal point for civic rituals, royal events, and national ceremonies involving Monarchy of the United Kingdom, including state funerals and thanksgiving services attended by figures such as members of the House of Stuart and House of Hanover. Civic guilds including the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths and the Worshipful Company of Drapers used the space for corporate observances, while civic leaders such as Sir William Walworth and Sir John Crosby participated in pageants and processions that linked the cathedral with the Lord Mayor of London. The cathedral influenced literature and visual culture: referenced by writers like Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare, and John Milton, and depicted by artists connected to Guildhall Art Gallery collections and cartographers such as John Norden. Its musical tradition involved choirs and composers associated with institutions like St Martin-in-the-Fields and hymnody movements influenced by Isaac Watts.

Destruction and archaeological remains

The destruction in the Great Fire of London consumed timber roofs, lead coverings, and medieval fittings, leaving stone foundations and crypt fragments excavated in later centuries. Archaeological investigations during works associated with Christopher Wren's replacement project revealed Roman and medieval strata comparable to finds from London Wall excavations and sites near Billingsgate Roman House. Surviving remnants include crypt walls, masonry reused in post-fire rebuilding, and funerary monuments salvaged and relocated to repositories such as Museum of London collections and parish vaults near St Faith-under-St Paul's.

Notable burials and monuments

The medieval cathedral contained tombs and memorials to bishops and civic benefactors, including episcopal effigies linked to Bishop Maurice and carved monuments akin to monuments preserved at Westminster Abbey and Canterbury Cathedral. Prominent burials were associated with figures from the Plantagenet and Tudor eras, merchants from the Hanoverian trade networks, and patrons represented by sculptors from workshops tied to Nicholas Stone traditions. Several memorial brasses, ledger stones, and chantry endowments documented connections to institutions like All Souls College, Oxford and Trinity College, Cambridge, reflecting the cathedral's role as a repository of elite commemoration.

Category:Former churches in London Category:Medieval architecture in London