Related commentaries – Praise

Solomon Prays in a Way That Get’s Results – II Chronicles 7:1 – 7:22

The Foundation Stone Was Laid for St. Paul’s Cathedral

 

In 1675, nine years after a terrible fire in London, Sir Christopher Wren laid the foundation stone of 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. 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).