The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-07-02
St. Paurs Cathedral From the Southwest.

of London have always been proud
of this cathedral, and well they might,
for the cathedral has always stood
for the promotion of the religious life
of the people and also their social life.
As for the attractiveness and beauty
it may be compared with St. Peters
at Rome, for it is in no way less beau
tiful, less attrac tive nor less magnifi-
cent than the latter. altho it is some
what smaller in size. While West
minister has been more or less asso-
eiGted with kings and queens and
government, st. PauPs has been the
church of the people.
Tho Third Edifice.
The cathedral at present is third
building which has been erected on
this site and was built by Sir Chris
topher Wren, one of the most noted
architects of cathedrals. The ground
upon which stands the cathedral has
a little histary connected with it
which connects it with the very early
times. 1t has been told that a Roman
temple dedicated to Diana and built
at the time of the Diocletian persecu-
tion stood on the location of the ca
thedraI and it has been an established
fact that when Sir Christopher Wren
sank the foundations for the present
structure he found beneath the buried
l bodies of medieval times a number
of Saxon stone collins and still lower
than this there were Roman and Gel
time the spot had been hallowed
ground.
King EtheIbert of Kent erected the
first church where St. PauPs now
stands. in SO. st. Mellitus was the
first bishop of London. He was a
companion of ST. Augustine and came
there to try and convert the East Sax
ons. However, he worked a great
time in vain. for the people in London
al that time thought too much of their
Pagan ideas and still continued to
worship the gods, Wodin and Thor, in
spite of the teachings of Mellitus in
the new cathedral. Pope Gregory had
sent st. Augustine to London to try
and convert the people and make the
Cathedral of London the Metropolitan
church, but the saint found that de-
spite his teachings, the opposition was
SO strong that he could make but lit
tie impression on the minds of the
idol-loving people. and so Canterbury
was made the Metropolitan church. A
number of efforts on the part of mis-
sionaries. finally led, after about forty
years, thirty-eight, to be exact, the
people to believe the Christian way. At
this time the church showed strength;
it received attention in the way of
decoration; St Erkenwald. fourth
bishop of London, gained a great num-
Der of converts: Saxon kings added
wealth to the endowment of the cathe-
dral: rich land was granted to it and
II seemed that from that time on It's
growth was practically unlimited.
Fires Do Damage.
A golden shrine was erected to the
memory of St. Erkenwald and it was
frequented a great deal by pilgrims.
In 961 fire broke out and a great
amount of damage was done and in
1886 a fire destroyed the edifice. The
cathedral was erected Immediately.
designed by Bishop Maurice and this
church stood until destroyed by the
Great Fire in the seventeenth century.
This church. designed by the bishop,
was the largest in England and was a
very rich one, having costly pictures,
frescoes, vestments and tombs. The
building was in the shape of a cross
with the tower and spire in the center.
The nave which was built in the Nor
man style was long. having IL bays.
Towers containing bells and which at
times were used as prisons. were at
the west end. The structure contained
a very high altar and then too, there
were between seventy and eighty
chantries all having rich draperies.
This cathedral contained number of
relics of which any cathedral in those
days would have boosted triumphantly.
Among them were. two arms of St
hair of Mary Magda1ene, blood of St
Paul, milk of the Virgin, the hand OF
st. John, the skull of Thomas
a'Becket and the head of King Ethel
bert st. Erkenwald's body covered
with a golden shrine lay behind the
altar In 1885 another fire did con-
siderable damage to the cathedral and
In 1921 the choir was rebuilt. In 1926