St Pauls Cathedral
St Paul’s Cathedral London
St Paul's, with its world-famous dome, is an iconic feature of the London skyline.
Guests will get their chance to visit this site as part of our American Legacy and Thanksgiving tour packages.
We are excited to take you inside this great monument so that you can enjoy the Cathedral's awe-inspiring interior, and uncover fascinating stories about its history. The Cathedral has been here for over 1,400 years. It has been built and rebuilt five times, and always its main purpose has been as a place of worship and prayer.
St Paul's has had a long relationship with the American people, formed largely after the Second World War, a conflict in which thousands of Americans based within the UK were to give their lives - with the most visible striking reminder of this sacrifice and subsequent deep friendship can be found beyond the High Altar at the very east end of the Cathedral, in the American Memorial Chapel - a space rebuilt after being destroyed in the Blitz and dedicated in its entirety to the American dead of WW2 - thus making it the highlight of this blog.
The American Memorial Chapel
At the heart of the chapel sits a huge, 500-page, leather-bound book; a roll of honour to the 28,000 Americans - from Aaberg to Zingale - stationed in the UK who gave their lives throughout the War. The book opens: "Defending freedom from the fierce assault of tyranny they shared the honor and the sacrifice. Though they died before the dawn of victory their names and deed will long be remembered where ever free men live.”
Thousands of the men named in the roll of honour died on the Normandy beaches on D-Day, as well as in training operations in the lead up to the campaign and in the subsequent battles on the European mainland, right up until the day on which the Allies celebrated Victory in Europe. The book was unveiled in 1958 at a service to dedicate the Chapel, attended by The Queen and American Vice President, Richard M Nixon.
President Dwight D Eisenhower visited the Chapel and the roll of honour a year later. Words in the book written by the President, who as a soldier commanded the Allied troops on D-Day, read: "Each name inscribed in this book is a story of personal tragedy and a grieving family; a story repeated endlessly in white crosses girdling the globe. The Americans, whose names here appear, were part of the price that free men have been forced a second time to pay in this century to defend human liberty and rights. Fittingly, this roll of honor has been enshrined by the Mother Country of all English-speaking democracies in this special chapel of St Paul’s, once a target of barbaric attack. Here, we and all who shall hereafter live in freedom will be reminded that to these men and their comrades of all the Allies we owe a debt to be paid with grateful remembrance of their sacrifice and with the high resolve that the cause for which they died shall live eternally.”
The chapel itself is truly a place for all Americans. The three stained-glass windows contain the state symbols of every American state. The wood carvings contain the birds, plants and flowers of America and hidden away in one panel are a space rocket and stars – a nod to the space programme that was being developed at the time the Chapel was completed. It was paid for entirely by donations from British men and women, and was designed, as a modern exercise in the Wren style, by Godfrey Allen and Stephen Dykes Bower. The Altar of the Chapel, which has an altarcloth of red velvet, embroidered in gold, is placed almost exactly where the High Altar stood in Wren's day. The panelling by the altar is very plausibly in the style of Grinling Gibbons, particularly the six vertical strips nearest the altar - even including dates from the middle of the twentieth century. There is also a medallion showing a portrait of President Eisenhower.
A bust of George Washington (1732-99) was placed even placed in the crypt in St Paul’s Cathedral in 1921.
Thanksgiving
Each November, St Paul's holds a US Thanksgiving service in partnership with the U.S. Embassy, to which all Americans in London are invited. More than 2,000 Americans gather at St. Paul’s to celebrate Thanksgiving with music, words of welcome from the U.S. Ambassador, preaching and prayers of gratitude. The clergy of American International Church and the International Community Church in Surrey take turns preaching for the service. The AIC Choir and Scott Stroman lead the music for the service, emphasizing African-American spirituals and American hymn tunes. They welcome singers to join just for this special occasion, attending rehearsals in November in preparation.
Thanksgiving Service at St Paul’s Cathedral - picture from the International Community Church
Martin Luther King
Known for his leadership of the Civil Rights Movement, by 1964 Dr Martin Luther King Jr had global renown and in December of that year was flying form the USA to Norway to collect his Nobel Peace Prize. But did you know that from the invitation of St Paul's Canon John Collins, Dr King chose to break his journey and stop in London to preach at the Cathedral?
On the morning of 6 December 1964 he addressed a congregation of 4,000 people from the Cathedral pulpit and delivered his sermon "The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life".
In the sermon he described the first dimension as being a life of self interest "living as though no one else existed - victimized by the acid of egoism"; the second dimension he characterised as the outward concern with the welfare of others, "a love of humanity"; and the third dimension was man's upward reach towards God. The sermon exhorted the congregation to be the best that they could be.
He then went on to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway on 10 December, 1964. In presenting the award, the Nobel Committee Chairman stated that he was "the first person in the Western world to have shown us that a struggle can be waged without violence. He is the first to make the message of brotherly love a reality in the course of his struggle, and he has brought this message to all men, to all nations and races." Dr King accepted the award on behalf of the thousands of participants in the Civil Rights Movement, whom he described as a "mighty army of love". King regarded the prize as a "commission" that demanded that he move beyond "national allegiances" to speak out for peace.
Photography at St Paul's
We hope that your visit to St Paul’s is a memorable one and we recognise that you may wish to take photos to remember your experience. Respectful non-flash photography for personal use inside the Cathedral is welcomed outside service times. Please share your photos with St Paul’s on social media using hashtag - stpauls. And of course, our very own hashtag ResoluteExperiences!
Just as a side note so you are aware for your travels - Photography is permitted throughout the Cathedral floor, crypt and external galleries. Areas of the Cathedral may occasionally be designated as “no photography” on a temporary basis and this will be indicated at the time. Photography is not permitted in St Dunstan’s Chapel, which is available for private prayer and reflection throughout the day. Finally, photography on the Whispering Gallery is not permitted at any time.
Sources Used:
https://www.stpauls.co.uk/history-collections/history/history-highlights/american-memorial-chapel-1958
https://www.explore-stpauls.net/oct03/textMM/AmericanMemorialN.htm
https://www.stpauls.co.uk
https://uk.usembassy.gov/st-pauls-thanksgiving-day-service/
https://amchurch.co.uk/thanksgivingservice/
https://www.icc-uk.org/event/thanksgiving-service-at-st-pauls-cathedral/