Well, a few of the ones I care or know about. Much of modern British history is represented in St. Paul's monuments...
One of the iconic photos of WWII, London burning the night of December 29th, 1940, after a massive incendiary bombing by the Germans, part of their "Baedeker" campaign to destroy British historical and cultural monuments; this photo, "St. Paul's Survives," alone did much to steel British resolve, no matter what was ahead |
Thus perhaps the cathedral's most important monument is outside, across the street, the monument to the Fire Watchers and Fire Fighters of those dark days |
Sir Joshua Reynolds |
Nelson, whose tomb is in the crypt |
America's favorite British general, Cornwallis; it wasn't his fault: read Barbara Tuchman's The First Salute |
My favorite British artist, Turner |
John Donne, metaphysical poet and Dean of the Cathedral |
Wellington, general, victor, prime minister, gets pride of place and largest monument, upstairs |
In the crypt, Wren's tomb |
"If you want to see my monument, look around you..." |
A stone bearing Wren's mark; he lived to the ripe age of 90 to see his son lay the Cathedral's final stone |
In the crypt are seeming hundreds of memorials and monuments, mostly military and naval; hey, you can't have an Empire without military and naval strength! |
Also in the crypt, not terribly helpful models of today's Cathedral and |
Its predecessor |
Nelson's tomb |
Great movie! |
Wellington |
And finally this, near the exit, past the gift shop: a plaque naming all the most important memorials and monument lost in the Cathedral in the Great Fire |
1 comment:
it is amazing that St. Paul's survived the blitz.
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