The Great Fire of London in 1666 destroyed large parts of the city, including St Paul's Cathedral. To which famous architect did the fire grant the opportunity to design a replacement building for St Paul's?

Sir Christopher Wren.

Explanation:

The Great Fire of London ravaged the city, destroying almost the whole of London. This fire was a result of an unfortunate simple mistake by a baker.

The London of 1666 was not like the present one. Before, it was full of medieval buildings made of timber and oak, unlike the modern brick and concrete buildings of today. Some of the houses also use tar as a means of making it more compact. So, the fire that started from a small bakery's ember began to emerge into something huge and devastating. It spread quickly to the neighboring houses, aided by the strong winds and the hot and dry weather of the London summer. Also, it was easy for the fire to spread as the houses were almost right next to each other, with hardly any wide space in between. This fire also destroyed the famous St. Paul's Cathedral, which was a historical landmark.

King Charles II immediately gave orders for it to be rebuilt. A famous architect Sir Christopher Wren was assigned with the rebuilding work. He designed it in the English Baroque style, finishing it with a number of smaller churches surrounding it. It was after this fire's destruction that buildings in and around London came to be made with bricks and stones, separated by thicker walls.