Which Baroque architect designed the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral in London?

Christopher Wren designed the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London as part of his English Baroque rebuilding of the cathedral.

The present cathedral replaced much of Old St Paul’s after the Great Fire of London in 1666. Wren was officially assigned the new cathedral’s design in 1669, and construction began in 1675. The building was completed in 1710, producing one of London’s defining landmarks.

Wren’s dome is a sophisticated double-shell structure rather than a single simple roof. An inner dome forms the cathedral’s dramatic interior, while a brick cone supports the outer timber-and-lead dome and its stone lantern. The arrangement helped Wren achieve both a grand interior and a commanding exterior silhouette.

The design draws on European precedents, including St Peter’s Basilica in Rome and François Mansart’s Church of the Val-de-Grâce in Paris. The dome rises 365 feet to its cross, a height often linked to Wren’s interest in astronomy. James Gibbs, John Vanbrugh, and Inigo Jones were important English architects, but Wren is the canonical designer of St Paul’s present cathedral and dome.