Wren's Legacy

As it so happens, 2023 is the 300th anniversary of the death of Sir Christopher Wren, the preeminent architect of his day whose many designs still grace the world stage including St. Paul's Cathedral in London and the Royal Naval College in nearby Greenwich.  He also happened to design his namesake Wren Building at the College of William and Mary where Wendy and I first met way back in 1989.

Our day today started with a tour of St. Paul's Cathedral with its striking dome that dominates the neighborhood skyline.  The medieval cathedral (consecrated in 1240) referred to as "Old St. Paul's" was destroyed in the Great London Fire of 1666.  Wren was appointed to rebuild St. Paul's in 1668 and the cathedral was officially deemed complete on Christmas Day 1711.  Wren was able to oversee the entire project from beginning to end and he is buried in the Cathedral crypt where his son later added a sign with a Latin inscription that says, "Reader, if you seek a monument, look about you."

St. Paul's is the seat of the Bishop of London and was the site of the royal wedding between Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.  However, Westminster Abbey seems to have more cachet and fame and is the burial site of numerous royals.  While both are magnificent cathedrals, I believe I prefer the architecture and grandness of St. Paul's over that of Westminster Abbey.

Because of the anniversary, there was a special exhibit titled Wren 300 that chronicled the life of Chirstopher Wren and the building of St. Paul's.  As it happens, I was in the Tercentenary Class (300th) of graduates from William & Mary, making this feel like an extra-special connection to Wren and St Paul's.  Hopefully, we'll make it to Greenwich and celebrate more Wren 300 while we're here.