If  Rome  has the grandeur of  St. Peter's Basilica ,  London  has the magnificence of  St. Paul's Cathedral . Located in the ancient square mile known as the  City of London   (which is the ancient, historic city located inside the current city of Greater London) , the Cathedral stands tall as a proud icon of the English people. And nowhere was this more apparent than during  World War II , when images of the Cathedral  standing resilient amidst a city devastated  by Nazi bombing became effective propaganda symbols of English resiliency. * Built after the  Great Fire of 1666 , the Cathedral was the masterpiece of   Sir Christopher Wren , one of the most esteemed English architects in history. Having overseen the  reconstruction of at least 52 churches  after the fire, Wren was also popular within the scientific-intellectual community with his contributions to science being highly praised by contemporaries such as  Isaac Newton  and  Blaise Pascal .