Rivera- 1

One of my favorite buildings is St. Paul's Cathedral in London, England bulit by Christopher Wren in the late 17th century. I had an internship in London last year and lived there for 5 months. Every night the cathedral is lit up in the most magnificent way. Even from far away, you can see details as clear as if you were standing just across the street. I would say the cathedral is one of the most recognizable buildings in London. When I was living there, one of my favorite ways to kill time was to walk around the city. I always tried to make it to one of the side streets near St. Paul's because I loved it so much.

St. Paul's is the mother church of the Diocese of London and the seat of the Bishop of London. It's position on Ludgate Hill places it at the highest point in the City of London (the City is the original London, a tiny portion of what we know as London today). While it is an important historical building, it also still functions as a church. There are daily church services and hourly prayer.

There is a famous picture of London after the Blitz bombing campaign during WWII. The city is surrounded in smoke, except for one clear patch of sky that reveals the dome of the cathedral, undamaged. The image became a symbol of British resilience and courage. I love history and I'm a self-diagnosed Anglophile, so being able to walk by and see this building everyday on my way home from work way an amazing experience.