Diagram showing construction of the dome of St Paul's - There has been a church on Ludgate Hill dedicated to St. Paul, London's patron saint, since 604. The Normans began building another cathedral on this site in 1087. By the 17th century it was in a state of decay and in 1634 Inigo Jones was employed to restore it to its former glory. On 2nd September, 1666, the Great Fire of London destroyed a large area of the city including St. Paul's Cathedral. Sir Christopher Wren was given the task of designing and rebuilding St. Paul's - a task that was to take him thirty-five years to complete. The most dramatic aspect of St. Paul's was its great dome. It was the second largest dome ever built (the largest was St. Peter's Basilica in Rome). Both domes were based on the one in the Pantheon built by the ancient Romans. When Christopher Wren died in 1723 he became the first person to be buried in St. Paul's Cathedral. - ?TopFoto / Woodmansterne