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St Paul’s Cathedral has been here for over 1,400 years. It has been built and rebuilt five times, and always its main purpose has been as a place of worship and prayer.

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St Paul's, with its world-famous dome, is an iconic feature of the London skyline. Step inside and you can enjoy the Cathedral's awe-inspiring interior, and uncover fascinating stories about its history.
Learning & Faith
Lifelong learning is a core part of the our work, delivered through a variety of events by St Paul's Institute, and the Cathedral's Adult Learning and Schools & Family Learning departments.

History & Collections
For more than 1,400 years, a Cathedral dedicated to St Paul has stood at the highest point in the City. The present Cathedral is the masterpiece of Britain's most famous architect Sir Christopher Wren.

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Behind the scenes, the cost of caring for St Paul's and continuing to deliver our central ministry and work is enormous and the generosity of our supporters is critical.

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Widely considered to be one of the world’s most beautiful buildings and a powerful symbol of the splendour of London, St Paul’s Cathedral is a breathtaking events venue.Latest News
Cathedral closed until further notice |
New Appointment for the Reverend Canon Mark Oakley
16 May 2018
We are pleased to announce that the Reverend Canon Mark Oakley, Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral, has been named as the new Dean of Chapel at St
John’s College, Cambridge.
Canon Mark will oversee and manage the provision of services and the conduct of divine worship in the College Chapel, the activities of the choirs,
and the pastoral care provided by the Chapel to resident members and staff of the College community. He will take up his position at St John’s
College in September 2018.
The Very Reverend David Ison, Dean of St Paul’s said: “Mark has made an enormous contribution to the life and work of St Paul's over the past eight
years, both as Treasurer and as Chancellor. He has led and helped to develop the work of Schools and Families, Adult Learning, the St Paul's
Institute and the Collections Department, to enable them to be at the heart of our mission, as well as making a huge contribution to our visual
arts programme including the successful completion of the installation of the Bill Viola artworks.
“He has also played a very important role in Chapter, helping us to think theologically about all that we do, and bringing wise counsel to our
deliberations. And he has had a very significant wider role, taking St Paul's with him as he speaks, teaches and engages with others not only in
London but around the country and beyond. He is someone who holds together erudition and integrity, seriousness and fun with a wealth of
experience. We are deeply grateful for all he has given to us and we rejoice with him at this new opportunity for his ministry to grow, but we will
miss him greatly.”
The Reverend Canon Mark Oakley said of his appointment: “I’ve really enjoyed my eight years at St Paul’s. Some people have said to me that I had
the best job in the Church of England and some days it felt like it! It will be hard to say goodbye to so many good friends and colleagues. I’m
looking forward to a new ministry at St John’s College and hope I’ll be able to take with me all the experience, support and fun I’ve enjoyed
here.”
Canon Mark’s interest in literature, poetry and theology has brought great depth to his leadership of the Cathedral’s learning departments, and he
will be remembered by many for his witty and thoughtful chairing of Cathedral public learning events and engaging preaching. As an active author he
has also enjoyed success with his most recent book The Splash of Words: Believing in Poetry.
He is widely known for being a passionate campaigner for social justice and human rights and he received one of the first National Hate Crime
Awards in 2016 for his work amongst minority groups. He is an ambassador for the charity Stop Hate UK as well as being a Trustee of several
bodies including Liberty, also known as the National Council for Civil Liberties.
Canon Mark was educated in London and Oxford and ordained at St Paul’s in 1993. He served his curacy at St John’s Wood (1993-6), before becoming
Chaplain to the Bishop of London (1996-2000) followed by Rector of St Paul’s, Covent Garden, also known as ‘the Actors’ Church’
(2000-2005).
He then became Archdeacon of Germany and Northern Europe. Canon Oakley returned to London and Grosvenor Chapel, Mayfair, in 2008 before moving to
St Paul’s initially as Canon Treasurer. He is also a Deputy Priest in Ordinary to HM The Queen and a Visiting Lecturer in the Department of
Theology and Religious Studies at King’s College, London.
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Canon Mark with Archbishop Justin Welby
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Canon Mark at an Adult Learning event with Kate Coleman and Paula Gooder
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