old st paul's physical features

St Erkenwald’s shrine local and national significance

• built in 1140

• Erkenwald was canonised in 675 as Bishop of London

• his shrine enticed devout Christians to make pilgrimage to St Paul’s

• due to the belief that miracles were linked to the shrine

• promoting it as a popular tourist attraction

• as there was a key belief in the 7th and 8th century that completing pilgrimages reduced your time in purgatory after death

St Erkenwald’s PROTESTANT CHANGE

• 1540 - Henry VIII stripped the shrine of its jewels in an attempt of iconoclasm

• rejection of veneration of saints as they were viewed as idolatrous

• done to reject Catholicism to start the Protestant Reformation

• change on LOCAL level due to St Erkenwald’s close relationship with London and St Paul’s

• change on NATIONAL level due to this change symbolising a wider national shift from Catholicism to Protestantism

nave local significance

• 70+ chantry chapels used for masses for souls of the dead to leave purgatory quicker

• these masses cost money, making them less accessible to a wider audience

• Catholic worship often involved processions - main liturgical purpose of the nave

nave PROTESTANT CHANGE

• less religious significance placed on the nave in Protestant Reformation

• symbolises changing cultural and societal values

• shift from religious use to SECULAR use

• as the nave was later used for scribes and legal writings (medieval period)

• and became a prominent hub of gossip and businesses: Paul’s Walk

• as a rejection of Catholicism and its liturgies

St Paul’s Cross local and national significance

• increasingly used during the Protestant Reformation for preaching

• as Catholic processions and masses decreased, Protestant sermons and lectures increased

• the features encompasses the growing idea of preaching ministry and the popularity this held with all social classes

• St Paul’s cross entertained crowds of thousands, with sermons extending several hours at a time

• 1620s - John Donne was able to captivate crowds for two hours with Protestant preaching

St Paul’s Cross CIVIL WAR AND MODERN DAY CHANGE

• pulpit taken down in 1635

• Cross was destroyed in 1641

• damage was done to ST Paul’s Cross to symbolise the Puritan movement in England at the time due to Cromwell and the Civil War

• 1910 - monument to St Paul’s Cross built near the original area

• symbolises the significance that modern day populations recognise in St Paul’s Cross

evidence for St Paul’s Cross

• St Paul’s Cross is featured in John Gipkin’s painting

• pictures large crowd of all social classes

• with notable appearances

• of King James VI, dignitaries and John Donne (dean of St Paul’s)

spire local significance

• measured 489 ft - made old St Paul’s the tallest building in London

  • spire caused St Paul’s to be an imposing building on the London skyline, promoting it as a significant building

• hit by lightning in 1341 and 1444 but was rebuilt on both occasions

• burnt down in 1561 (Elizabeth I’s reign) and was never rebuilt

evidence for spire

• 1916 engraving of St Paul’s

• shows how St Paul’s was destroyed

Our Lady chapel local significance

• one of the most popular chapels in old St Paul’s

• located in south quire aisle

• contained the St John the Baptist’s monument and St Badegunde’s crypt

• symbolises the popularity of monuments and statues to religious figures at this time

• these were lost in the 1666 Great Fire of London

rose window local and national significance

• stained glass in old St Paul’s, particularly the rose window was reputed to be the best in the country and possibly Europe

• the window served as both a decorative element and a symbol of divine, drawing the attention of both worshippers and visitors

• the beauty of the feature would’ve attracted tourists

• the beauty of the rose window would have adhered to the belief in ‘beauty of holiness’

• it was destroyed in the 1666 Great Fire of London

rose window PROTESTANT REFORMATION AND CIVIL WAR CHANGE

• survived the Protestant Reformation and English Civil War

• was not a victim of Protestant iconoclasm

• symbolises the significance of the feature, even if it was deemed stylistically in line with Catholic views

evidence for the rose window

• referred to in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales

• drawn by Hollar in 1658

Great West Portico national significance

• built during the ‘New Work’ of Inigo Jones in the 1630s

  • example of attempted restoration in Charles I’s reign

• cost a vast amount

• built in ornate style, with inspiration from famed Italian architect Andrea Palladio

  • reflects the Laudian religious reforms at the time

Great West Portico CIVIL WAR CHANGE

• western portico was converted into shops and became a place of disrepute during the Civil War and following Interregnum

• symbolises changing attitudes and values from overwhelmingly religious to more secular

• signifies the importance of old St Paul’s as as centre for evolving activities and functions

• example of the consequences on St Paul’s due to the Civil War

evidence for Great West Portico

• archaeological fragments

• engravings by Wenceslas Hollar in 1650s

octagonal chapter house national significance

• built in 1332

• chapter house is an example of gothic style

• symbolises the cultural and architectural shift in values and attitudes to ornamentation

St Paul’s grammar schools for boys

• created in 1509

• promotes old St Paul’s as an intellectual hub with a close association with music

high altar PROTESTANT REFORMATION CHANGE

• ornate high altar destroyed and replaced with a wooden communion table

• done to reject Catholicism and the veneration of saints

• by Edward VI

• high altar was rebuilt in 1888