Task 1. Read the text. St. Paul’s is the most famous church in London

St. Paul’s is the most famous church in London. St. Paul’s serves as the center of the Church of England in London. The great English architect Sir Christopher Wren built the Church between 1675 and 1710 to replace the original St. Paul’s, which was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666. The church’s huge dome towers 111 meters above the ground. Its dome has become a symbol of London throughout the world.

Saint Paul’s was built on the site of an Anglo-Saxon church. Sir Christopher Wren /1632-1723/ was commissioned to rebuilt Saint Paul’s. He had great mathematical and engineering skills, and used the classical orders with great imagination. Wren is buried in the cathedral Crypt. His epitaph translated from Latin reads: “If you seek his monument, look around you”.

Big Paul is in the northern bell tower at the front of Saint Paul’s. It is the heaviest bell in the coun­try. Big Paul rings every weekday at 1 p.m. to let people know that it is lunchtime. Another bell, Big Tom, tolls when a monarch or important churchmen die. The church bells in the other tower are rung on Sundays and to celebrate great occasions. The Crypt extends under the whole building. Here you can see many memorials to famous people. Lord Nelson is buried here. There is a display of Cathedral treasures, including priest’s robes.

The Dome of Saint Paul’s is made of two domes, Outer and Inner, one inside the other. Inside there is a balcony called the Whispering Gallery. A whisper directed along the wall of one side of the dome can be heard on the other side. Inner dome is decorated with scenes from the life of Saint Paul.

The Choir has wooden stalls carved for Wren by Grinling Gibbons /1648-1721/, master carver in wood to the Crown. A Master Carver works full-time restoring the carvings in the church. The saucer domes of the Choir are decorated with Victorian mosaics. They depict living things created by God: land animals, water creatures and birds.

Beyond the choir is the focal point of the whole Cathedral – the High Altar. It is a modern re­placement of the altar which was damaged during World War II, and is an exact copy of Wren’s original design.

Wren’s cathedral originally had no monuments but now there are hundreds of them. The oldest is that of the poet John Donne, who was Dean of St. Paul’s /1621-1631/. In the north side of the Nave there is a huge monument to the Duke of Wellington. On the top the figure of the Duke sits on his favourite horse named Copenhagen. He is actually buried in the Crypt. The ornate funeral car in which his body was brought to the cathedral stands nearby. Also in the Crypt there is the tomb of Lord Nelson. His coffin lies be­neath a black marble sarcophagus.

The American Memorial Chapel is at the eastern end of Saint Paul’s. It commemorates the Americans who died in the World War II. Their names are written in a roll of honour kept in glass and gold case.

Task 2. Discussion. Answer the questions.

1. What is the symbol of London?

2. What is Big Paul?

3. What is Big Tom?

THE TOWER OF LONDON

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