Immanence, Art, and the Secret: St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Making of British National Identity

Written by Gianella Pena Barbery

Monuments serve as anchors of collective memory, shaping national consciousness through their persistent presence in the cultural landscape. St. Paul’s Cathedral, one of Britain’s most recognisable architectural landmarks, is more than an aesthetic marvel; it is a monument entwined with British nationalism and identity.(1) Through its artistic greatness, historical significance, and religious symbolism, St. Paul’s symbolises a distinctly British identity, particularly through its role in fostering unity and resilience. The cathedral’s survival during the Blitz transformed it into a beacon of national strength, while its Anglican foundation roots it within a religious framework deeply linked to Britishness itself.

St. Paul’s as a Monument of National Identity

As Sverker Sörlin and Katharyne Mitchell argue, monuments serve as conduits of collective memory, shaping historical consciousness and reinforcing shared identities.(2)(3) St. Paul’s Cathedral – designed by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London in 1666 – was erected not only as a religious space but also as a physical manifestation of Britain’s self-definition.(1) As Rebecca Pierce discusses, the cathedral’s image has been consistently mobilised to craft a national identity that is distinct from continental European (and particularly Catholic) influences.(4) 

Monuments, by their very presence, create a shared cultural self-definition, legitimising identity through an appeal to collective memory.(2) St. Paul’s is an enduring reminder of Anglicanism’s role in British national identity, reinforcing the narrative of a Protestant Britain that distinguished itself from Catholic Europe.(4) This differentiation was not merely religious but also political, as Anglicanism and the monarchy were deeply connected. The cathedral, therefore, stands not just as an ecclesiastical structure but as a symbol of British sovereignty and historical continuity.

The Secret: Anglicanism and the British Identity

The ‘secret’ in this context is not a clandestine conspiracy but rather the quiet, persistent role of the Anglican Church in shaping national consciousness. While Britain is now largely secular, the historical legitimacy of its identity remains deeply entrenched in religious symbolism. As Manuel Castells notes in The Power of Identity, the legitimisation of identity often emerges from shared historical narratives, and in Britain, Anglicanism has served as a unifying narrative.(5) The monarchy’s position as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England directly reflects this intersection between religion and national identity.(4)

Furthermore, the differentiation from Catholicism reinforces British unity through opposition. In the pre-modern era, national identity was often forged through religious rivalry, and Britain’s Protestant self-image positioned it in contrast to Catholic powers such as France and Spain.(6) St. Paul’s, as a centrepiece of Anglican worship, thus became more than a place of faith: it became a monument that solidified British religious and national distinctiveness.(4)

St. Paul’s in Wartime Britain

Few images encapsulate British resilience as powerfully as the famous photograph of St. Paul’s standing between the smoke and destruction of the Blitz. This wartime moment reinforced the cathedral as a symbol of endurance, transforming it into a national emblem of perseverance. As David Boswell argues, national identity is often constructed and reinforced through imagery, and the survival of St. Paul’s became an image of defiance against external threats.(1)

Symbols and the Language of Identity

Benedict Anderson’s theory of the nation as an “imagined community” is based on the idea that shared symbols and language create cohesion among people who may never meet.(6) St. Paul’s is such symbol. Its iconic dome engraves into the national consciousness, it is a visual language of Britishness.

This is especially true in a modern Britain where Anglicanism is no longer a defining feature of daily life. The Cathedral’s endurance as a national icon speaks to the power of monuments to outlive their original contexts while still maintaining symbolic weight. In this way, St. Paul’s participates in what Anderson would call the reproduction of the nation over time, reminding citizens of their shared past, and anchoring them in a common story.(7)

A Living Monument…

St. Paul’s Cathedral is more than just a historical art piece. It is a living monument: part architectural masterpiece, part religious symbol, part national icon. It embodies the intersection of immanence, art, and what might be called a quiet secret: the role of Anglicanism in shaping a British identity.

The monument does not merely reflect history, but it actively constructs and sustains the national consciousness, ensuring that British identity, though ‘ever evolving’, remains deeply tied to its past. 

Bibliography

1. Boswell, D. and Evans, J. (eds.) (1999) Representing the Nation: A Reader – Histories, Heritage and Museums. London: Routledge.
2. Sörlin, S. (1998) ‘Monument and Memory: Landscape Imagery and the Articulation of Territory’, Worldviews: Environment, Culture, Religion, 2(3), pp. 269–279. Available at: https://brill.com/view/journals/wo/2/3/article-p269_9.xml
3. Mitchell, K. (2003) ‘Monuments, Memorials, and the Politics of Memory’, Urban Geography, 24(5), pp. 442–459. Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2747/0272-3638.24.5.442
4. Pierce, R. (2004) National Identity and the British Empire: The Image of Saint Paul’s Cathedral. MA thesis. Marshall University. Available at: https://mds.marshall.edu/etd/712/
5. Castells, M. (1997) The Power of Identity. Oxford: Blackwell.
6. Anderson, B. (1983) Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism. London: Verso.
7. Anderson, B. (1996) ‘The Nation and the Origins of National Consciousness’, in Hutchinson, J. and Smith, A.D. (eds.) Ethnicity. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 89–96.
8. Ben-Amos, A. (1993) ‘Monuments and Memory in French Nationalism’, History and Memory, 5(2), pp. 50–81. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/25618652
9. Marschall, S. (2005) ‘Forging national identity: Institutionalising foundation myths through monuments’, South African Journal of Cultural History, 19(1), pp. 18–35.
10. Reich, G.A. (2020) ‘Monumental Refraction: Monuments, Identity, and Historical Consciousness’, Historical Encounters, 7(1), pp. 1–23. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339313152
11. Szűcs, J. (2022) The Historical Construction of National Consciousness: Selected Writings. Edited by Klaniczay, G., Trencsényi, B. and Gyáni, G. Budapest: Central European University Press.
12. Tevzadze, N. (1994) ‘National Identity and National Consciousness’, History of European Ideas, 19(1–3), pp. 437–440.