Sir Christopher Wren was born on Oct. 20, 1632, in East Knoyle, Wiltshire, England. Wren, the son of a rector, was the youngest child, the only boy, and delicate in health. Before Christopher was three, his father was appointed dean of Windsor, and the Wren family moved into the court. It was among the intellectuals around Charles I that the boy first developed his mathematical interests. His life at Windsor was disrupted by the outbreak of civil war in 1642. The deanery was captured and the Dean was forced to flee, first to Bristol, then to the country home of a son-in-law, William Holder, in Oxfordshire. Wren was sent to school at Westminster but spent much time under Holder's tuition, experimenting in astronomy. He translated William Oughtred's work on sundials into Latin and constructed various astronomical devices. However, there was an important turn toward physiology in 1647 when he met the anatomist Charles Scarburgh. He was professor of astronomy at Gresham College, London, from 1657 to 1661, when he became Savilian professor of astronomy at Oxford. Though now known as the greatest architect of the English baroque style, in his time Wren was a celebrated astronomer and mathematician who, in 1660, was one of the founders of the Royal Society. His architectural career began in 1661 when Charles II appointed him assistant to the royal architect and in 1665 he spent six months in Paris studying architecture. The distinguished buildings Wren created in the years thereafter owe much of their cerebral rigor to his mathematical training. After the great fire of 1666 Wren prepared a master plan for the reconstruction of London, which was never executed. He designed, however, many new buildings that were built, the greatest of which was Saint Paul's Cathedral. In 1669 Wren was named royal architect, a post he retained for more than 45 years. From 1670 to 1711 he designed 52 London churches, most of which still stand, notable for their varied and original designs and for their fine spires. They include St. Stephen, Walbrook; St. Martin, Ludgate; St. Bride, Fleet Street; and St. Mary-le-Bow. Among his numerous secular works are the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford; the elegant library of Trinity College, Cambridge; the garden facade of Hampton Court Palace; Chelsea Hospital; portions of Greenwich Hospital; and the buildings of the Temple, London. Wren also built residences in London and in the country, and these, as well as his public works, received the stamp of his distinctive style. His buildings exhibit a remarkable elegance, order, clarity, and dignity. His influence was considerable on church architecture in England and abroad. Wren was knighted in 1673. Wren died in London in 1723 and is buried in the crypt of St. Paul's.
