It might seem remarkable, but the iconic St. Paul’s Cathedral in London was regarded as one of the most unattractive “architectural messes” when it was officially opened 300 years ago this week.
Today we regard the great dome as one of the greatest attractions in the country and very few would want to change the design of this Wren masterpiece. If you went back to the time of the creation and official opening, the critics at least were slightly less pleasant, complaining that the cathedral was out of date and really quite a mess.
Anthony Ashley Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury, claimed it was an excessive and “even vulgar form of design” as the “voluptuous style was associated with Rome and all things Catholic and was therefore a very bad thing indeed in staunchly Protestant England”.
The main problem would sound familiar today. Wren wanted to create something akin to the Greek style of design, but the various committees involved in commissioning and over-seeing the design and construction couldn’t decide on whether it would be Medieval in design or Renaissance, or perhaps English baroque.
By the 1940s, the public had fallen in love with the cathedral which is why the German Luftwaffe tried endlessly to destroy the iconic building. Remarkably, they never managed to do anything more than superficial damage and the dome.
It is testament to Wren’s abilities that what we have today is the magnificence of St. Paul’s Cathedral, and most visitors will never notice the joins, unless you look in the corners, but don’t tell them we told you.
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