The second most notable London church is St. Paul's Cathedral, located in the City amid the noise of commercial and industrial life (see Figure 1.11, St. Paul's Cathedral). Need I repeat the well-known facts that this cathedral was built by Christopher Wren on the ruins of a church burned during the Great Fire in 1666, which was originally erected at the site of a pagan temple to Diana, later converted into a Christian church? At the front of this cathedral rises the once-famous Cross of St. Paul, i.e., a wooden pulpit, lined with lead, set on stone steps. Every Sunday, the most prominent theologians of London delivered enlightening words to the public from this pulpit. The court and the noblest citizens of the city gathered to listen to them. Moreover, it was at this site that allegiance was sworn, new laws were proclaimed, etc. The lovely Jane Shore, mistress of Edward IV, repented here in a white kirtle with a candle in her hand. It was here that, on the demand of the Catholics, the first English Bible was burned; and it was here that, by order of Henry VIII and Elizabeth, the speeches against the Pope were delivered. — The building itself is designed in the form of a cross, built from white Portland stone now covered with soot of different shades. The dome of St. Paul's Cathedral is visible from a great distance. The tolling of the great bell is heard for 20 miles (35 versts) in circumference. The bell tolls only on the occasion of the death of the king, the Bishop of London, the dean of St. Paul's Cathedral, or the Lord Mayor. The building is beautiful, majestic, but it stands amid cramped streets lined with tall houses, and as travelers who have been to Rome say, it cannot be compared to the Cathedral of St. Peter. It is surrounded by an iron fence, inside which, to the west of the church, stands a statue of Queen Anne.

The interior of the church is not so well decorated as the exterior: One transept of the cross formed by the building is allocated for worship services. The remaining space is mostly empty. It was decreed in 1790 that the church be decorated with monuments to famous people to fill the space.