Cathedrals have always played more than one role in the communities they serve. Their central purpose is to bring people closer to God, but over the centuries they have served as a focal point for trade, as fortresses and sanctuaries in times of war, and as vast status symbols - reflections of wealth and power of the region in which they stand.

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Introduction
Cathedrals have always played more than one role in the communities they serve.

314 - Restitutus
Restitutus becomes the first Bishop of London. The site of his cathedral is unknown.

604 - The First St Paul's
The first St Paul's Cathedral is built.

962
The cathedral is rebuilt following Viking ransacking.

1087
1087 - Old St Paul's is built in a grand Norman style.

1310
Work is finally completed on St Paul's , more than 200 years after it began

1561
Queen Elizabeth I contributes to repairs after lightning strikes the cathedral.

1666 - The Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London destroys Old St Paul's.

1668 - The Demolition
Wren is commissioned to produce a new design for St Paul's Cathedral.

1669
Wren's first Greek Cross design for the new cathedral is rejected.

1673 - Sir Christopher Wren
Wren's second plan and Great Model are abandoned.

1674
Wren, frustrated by all the delays, works on his third design.

1675-1710 - New St Paul's
Wren's Warrant Design is given royal approval.

1697 - The First Service
The first service is held on 2 December in the Quire, the part of the building where construction began.

1698
The structure reaches the height of the Whispering Gallery and work begins on the dome.

1708
1708 - 'Topping out' of the Cathedral

1709
St Paul's introduces charges to visitors.

1710 - Construction is Completed
The new cathedral is completed.

1723 - Sir Chistopher Wren Dies
Sir Christopher Wren dies, aged 91.

1806 - Lord Nelson's Funeral
A funeral service is held for Admiral Lord Nelson after he dies at the Battle of Trafalgar.

1810
A daring robbery results in St Paul's losing most of its ceremonial gold and silver.

1852 - The Duke of Wellington's Funeral
The funeral of the Duke of Wellington

1897
Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee service.

1901
A memorial service for Queen Victoria is held at the same time as her burial at Windsor.

1915
1915 - St Paul's Watch is formed to protect the Cathedral from fire during World War II.

1935
King George V's Silver Jubilee service.

1939
The St Paul's Fire Watch is re-formed to help City firemen fight the first fire bombs of World War II.

1940 - St Paul's Survives The Blitz
The cathedral is the target for a bombing raid during the Blitz.

1944
The cathedral bells, silent earlier in the war, ring out to celebrate the liberation of Paris.

1945
Ten simple services are held to mark the end of the war in Europe. An estimated 35,000 people attend.

1951
King George VI launches the Festival of Britain from St Paul's

1964
Human rights campaigner Martin Luther King preaches at St Paul's on his way to Oslo to collect the Nobel Peace Prize.

1965
The funeral of Sir Winston Churchill.

1968
St Paul's reflects the mood of the Swinging Sixties by holding a Festival of Youth, featuring pop singer Mary Hopkin.

1977
Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Silver Jubilee at St Paul's.

1981
The Marriage of Charles, Prince of Wales, to Lady Diana Spencer

1992
The Queen Mother attends the 40th anniversary celebrations of the Friends of St Paul's.

1995 - A Tradition of Public Service
A 50th anniversary service for the end of World War II in Europe.

1996
Fragments of Inigo Jones' splendid portico are discovered by archaeologists, 330 years after the Great Fire.

1997
The 300th anniversary of the opening of the Quire.

2000
100th birthday of HM The Queen Mother

2001
Service of Remembrance held for the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York.

2002
A national service of celebration on the Golden Jubilee of the accession of HM Queen Elizabeth II.

2004
Service to celebrate the 1400th Anniversary of the Diocese of London.

2005
Service to commemorate those who died in the Iraq War. Kofi Annan speaks at St Paul's ahead of the G8 Summit. Memorial service for victims of the Asian Tsunami.

2006
2006 - National Service of Celebration for HM The Queen's 80th Birthday

2007
Service of Remembrance held for the victims of the July 7th bombings on London

2008
300th Anniversary of the 'topping out' of St Paul's

2009
UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd speak at St Paul's ahead of G20 summit.