The Sheldonian Theatre

The Sheldonian Theatre wears a distinct octagonal cupola that rises above the surrounding college walls. Christopher Wren designed this building in the sixteen sixties to serve as the university’s ceremonial hall. Before it opened, Oxford held its graduation ceremonies in a cramped church where students faced insults from the crowd. The university leaders wanted a dedicated space for these events. Wren included a ceiling painted to look like an open sky, populated by figures that seem to peer down at the graduates below.