National Cathedral | Washington, DC, USA

[Kampflamm]

History

The idea for a national cathedral is as old as Washington itself. In 1791, when Congress selected the site to be the capital of the United States, President George Washington commissioned Major Pierre l’Enfant to design an overall plan for the future seat of government.

Included in l’Enfant’s plan was a church, “intended for national purposes, such as public prayer, thanksgiving, funeral orations, etc., and assigned to the special use of no particular Sect or denomination, but equally open to all.”

Largely through the efforts of Washington community leaders such as Riggs Bank President Charles C. Glover, plans for building Washington National Cathedral gained momentum. On January 6, 1893, Congress granted a charter to the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation of the District of Columbia, allowing it to establish a cathedral and institutions of higher learning. Signed by President Benjamin Harrison, this charter was the birth certificate of Washington National Cathedral.

After his consecration in 1896, the Rev. Dr. Henry Yates Satterlee, the first bishop of Washington, managed to secure land on Mount Saint Alban — the most commanding spot in the entire Washington area.

On September 29, 1907, the foundation stone was laid. President Theodore Roosevelt and the Bishop of London spoke to the crowd of ten thousand. The stone itself came from a field near Bethlehem and was inset into a larger piece of American granite. On it was the inscription: “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). With the laying of the cathedral foundation stone, the grassy, tree — shaded Close became home to the longest — running construction site in the nation’s capital.

In 1912, Bethlehem Chapel opened for services which have continued daily ever since. In October 1928, President Calvin Coolidge came to open the General Convention of the Episcopal Church at the Cathedral.

The Cathedral quickly became a place for services of national focus. When the United States entered World War II in 1941, monthly services “On behalf of a united people in a time of emergency” began. Holy Spirit Chapel served as a War Shrine and community memorial services were held.

As construction continued, Washington National Cathedral continued to take its place in history. President Woodrow Wilson’s tomb was dedicated in 1956 (Wilson is the only US president buried within the boundaries of the District of Columbia.) The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., preached his last Sunday sermon from the Canterbury Pulpit in 1968. Thousands gathered for President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s funeral in 1969.

In 1976, the Cathedral’s nave and west rose window were completed and dedicated in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II and president Gerald Ford. It was also the place the nation gave thanks when the American hostages in Iran were freed.

The Pilgrim Observation Gallery was completed and opened to the public in 1982. In 1983 the final phase of construction began with the setting of the first stone for the west towers.

The completion of the west towers in September 1990 marked the end of eighty-three years of construction.

The Cathedral continues to be a place of national focus. It was the site of President George W. Bush’s Inaugural Prayer Service and later the National Prayer and Remembrance service on September 14, 2001. On December 25, 2002, the Cathedral broadcast its fiftieth national Christmas service.

Since the first services were held in Bethlehem Chapel, Washington National Cathedral has opened its doors to people of all faiths as they have gathered to worship and pray, to mourn the passing of world leaders, and to confront the pressing moral and social issues of the day.

Reminds me of Wells cathedral, but taller and not as ornate. Obviously not as old either.

The sheer size and impressiveness of it earns it 8/10.

[Leienaar]

I've visited that church. I's really big and impressive and very beautiful. Unbelieveble that it has been finished just 14 years ago! It looks very much like authentic french and english cathedrals. Oh, and i voted 9.

[Josh]

It's a nice building but I wish they had built something more contemporary, gothic and neo-gothic are something from the past.

[CULWULLA]

gorgeous piece of architecture. 301ft high!! over 500ft long!
states finest complete cathedral
10/10 love its size!
heres some more physical description>

This handsome neo-gothic style building is the states 2nd largest cathedral & the worlds 6th largest. The foundation stone was laid on Sept 29, 1907 in the presence of President Theodore Roosevelt.The first design was by English architects George Bodley & Henry Vaughan but in 1921 Philip Frohman was appointed & oversaw the building for the next 50 years. The building continued through the wars & the massive central tower was completed in 1964.It rises to 70m to parapet & 81m to corner pinnacles.Known as Gloria in Excelsis it holds a carillon of 53 bells. The cathedral stands near the junction of Massachusetts & Wisconsin Avenues on grounds called Mt St Alban some 115m above sea level. The cathedral was finally completed in 1990 & final stone was set on the cathedrals sth-west tower. There are 214 stained glass windows.President George Bush spoke at the ceremony.The cathedral dimensions are as follows; overall length measures 158m, (inside 139m), nave/aisles width-43m, (nave-14m) height of west towers-71m.3m, central tower-91.7m, ridge of roof-46m, nave interior height-32m, ground area-83,000sqft, weight –150,000 tons.

I prefer Ralph Adams Cram's works in NYC and Detorit, particularly his splendid mish-mash at St. John the Divine.

7/10

[FerrariEnzo]

Quote:I prefer Ralph Adams Cram's works in NYC and Detorit, particularly his splendid mish-mash at St. John the Divine.

Could you maybe post pics?

[Imperfect Ending]

7/10

its not as beautiful as the european one but this is good enough

[Phobos]

9.0/10
the entrance could be better,but it's still beautiful.

[Labrador]

8.5/10
It's a wonderful building - the scale of it is enormous. What stops it from deserving a 10 is that it's modern; some buildings of similar or even greater magnitude were built centuries ago, when their construction would have been much more difficult. Its appearance reminds me of Durham cathedral in England (apart from the fact Durham cathedral is red sandstone).

[CharlieP]

Blimey - what's the largest cathedral in the States then?

[Matthieu]

It looks big, but when you see it from face. It doesn't look that big. It's new and you can see it at the textures, it doesn't have this used texture I commonly see. The inside is big bu empty. I'll add it looks more like the York minster, more the British style than the French and even less German styles.

7,5/10 for me.

"Blimey - what's the largest cathedral in the States then?"

The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, I think.

[Jarmo K]

rip-off

[wajz]

I love gothic cathedrals, I love gothic revival cathedrals... but I really don't like gothic revival revival. They should have come up with something contemporary like Mario Botta's Evry cathedral. Washington cathedral is a nice building, but unworthy of a high score.

[Kampflamm]

BTW, does anybody know if parts of the facade are still missing? Some statues (or whatever they're called) would look good around the main entrance.

[DamienK]

8/10

[jmancuso]

i like it. 9/10

[hauntedheadnc]

Splendid. I don't blame a building for its age because it's not as though a building can help the date it was constructed. I like the grandeur, the homage paid to old forms and established methods, the ornamentation, the symbolism, the location... 10.

[Impf]

It certainly looms large over this area of the city. But having lived in DC and visiting it many times, I've just never warmed to it. It's cold and apart, squat and soulless. An exercize in nationalism, not soaring spirit.

The least impressive large scale gothic cathedral IMO. Maybe it needs some patina on all that stone? Maybe it should have been built in the heart of the city surrounded by density and a public square? I don't know. But it only gets a 7 from me, if only for the massive toil of it all.