St. Paul's Cathedral by Numbers

Image of St. Paul's Cathedral circa 1896 courtesy wikimedia.org.  

There has been a cathedral dedicated to St. Paul in London, England since the year 607.  The first three churches were destroyed by fire.  The present building, designed by Sir Christopher Wren, has stood the test of time, although it was heavily bombed during the Blitz of 1940-41.

Image of the Blitz, December 29, 1940, courtesy www.sacred-destinations.com. 

Here are ten numbers pertaining to the famous domed cathedral.

1.  1677 -  The year the present cathedral was built.

2.  4 -- The number of cathedrals that have occupied the site.  The first three were destroyed by fire.

3.  365 -- The height in feet of the cathedral.

4.  560 -- The number of steps in the dome.

Image courtesy www.theamericanconservative.com. 

5.  937,025 -- Number of tourists to visit the cathedral in 2000.

6.  12 -- The number of bells in the northwest tower.

7.  3 -- The number of clocks.

8.  66,000 -- The weight in tons of the dome.  Only St. Peter's Basilica's dome in Rome is heavier.

Image courtesy google.ca. 

9.  7, 189 -- The number of pipes in the organ.

10.  1965 -- The year of Sir Winston Churchill's funeral.  Also held at the cathedral was the wedding of the century, that of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, in 1981.

Image courtesy www.assetstorage.co.uk.