With its towering dome and majestic galleries, St Paul’s Cathedral is as awe-inspiring today as it was when architect Sir Christopher Wren finished it 300 years ago.
And now, to commemorate the anniversary of its completion, the Royal Mail has issued this series of four stamps which, if placed together, make up this magnificent image taken from beneath the dome at the heart of St Paul’s.
There has been a cathedral on this site since 604, but the current incarnation was designed by Wren in 1675 after the previous one had been gutted by the Great Fire of London nine years earlier.
6. Many of the cathedral’s mosaics were designed by William Blake Richmond, who was commissioned to produce them in 1891. The project cost £6.1 million in today’s money.
7. The stunning South Quire Aisle (or Dean’s Aisle) features a statue of one of Britain’s greatest poets, John Donne, who died in 1631 and was also a cathedral Dean here.
8. This dramatic mosaic, depicting St Mark and his symbol, the lion, was designed by George Frederick Watts in 1864.
9. These quire mosaics by William Blake Richmond, made between 1896 and 1904, portray the exotic beasts of Creation, presided over by Christ.
10. Another quarter dome mosaic by William Blake Richmond, featuring a scene from the Ascension of Christ.
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Filed under: mosaic, mosaic art | Tagged: mosaics
