St Martin, Ludgate

St. Martin, Ludgate
St Martin, Ludgate (with St Paul's in the background, right)
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Anglican
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade I listed building
Architect(s)	Sir Christopher Wren
Style	Baroque
Administration
Diocese	London

St Martin, Ludgate, is an Anglican church on Ludgate Hill in the ward of Farringdon, in the City of London. St Martin, Ludgate, also called St Martin within Ludgate, was rebuilt in 1677–84 by Sir Christopher Wren.

Some legends connect the church with legendary King Cadwallo (now usually referred to as Cadwallon ap Cadfan, father of Cadwaladr. A sign on the front of the church reads "Cadwallo King of the Britons is said to have been buried here in 677". Modern historians would place his death about 682. Cadwallo's image was allegedly placed on Ludgate, to frighten away the Saxons. However, Middlesex and the London area were controlled by the Anglo-Saxon polities at that time and there is no evidence of British or any other occupation of the intramural area of the abandoned 'Londinium' since the late fourth century. Previously the sign stated that it was the West Saxon king Caedwalla but this was contradicted by Bede's writings that he was buried in Rome. However the earliest written reference is from 1174. A Blackfriars monastery was built nearby in 1278. The church was rebuilt in 1437 and the tower was struck by lightning in 1561. The parish books start from 1410. Before the Reformation, the church was under the control of Westminster Abbey, and afterwards under St. Paul's Cathedral

St Martin of Tours is a Patron Saint of travelers. Churches which are dedicated to him often stand just within city gates. A blue plaque next to church records the earlier presence of Ludgate, demolished 1760. From the lower part of Fleet Street the steeple stands between the viewer and the dome of St Paul's Cathedral. Wren probably planned to make a contrast between the spiky steeple of St Martin's and the circular dome of St Paul's. It is a curious combination of a lead-clad dome, topped by a lantern and on top of that a sharp obelisk steeple, somewhat like an exclamation mark.