St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul's is the cathedral of the Diocese of St Helena, built in 1851 on a site used for worship since the seventeenth century, a modest stone building with a square tower standing among trees in the island's cool green interior rather than in the town. The diocese it serves once covered a vast stretch of the South Atlantic. The churchyard holds graves running back through the island's history, including those of governors and of freed slaves.

What you actually see

• The 1851 building - the stone cathedral with its square tower.
• The interior setting - a cathedral among trees rather than in a town.
• The churchyard - graves running back through the island's history.
• The diocese - the see that once covered a vast stretch of the South Atlantic.

When to go

Year round; the interior is cooler and wetter than the coast. Services restrict visiting. The building keeps daytime hours.

Honest expectations

The cathedral is modest in scale by any standard. It is sometimes locked outside service hours. There is little interpretation inside.

Nearby

Jamestown is northeast, and Napoleon's Tomb is south.