Christopher Wren Lays Foundation Stone For St Paul’s Cathedral

In 1675, some nine years after the terrible fire in London, Sir Christopher Wren himself laid the first foundation stone in what was to be his greatest architectural enterprise, the building of St. Paul’s Cathedral. It took him thirty-five long years to complete this task, and when it was done he waited breathlessly for the reaction of Queen Anne. After being carefully shown through the structure, she summed up her feelings for the architecture in three words: “It is awful; it is amusing; it is artificial.” Upon hearing these words, Wren heaved a sigh of relief and bowed gratefully before his sovereign. How could this be? The explanation is simple In 1710, the word awful meant “awe-inspiring,” the word amusing meant “amazing,” and the word artificial meant “artistic.” What to our ears might sound like a devastating criticism were, in that time, words of measured praise. (Encyclopedia of Illustrations #9531).