WASHINGTON D.C.- Towering ceilings, endless rows of seating, hallways filled to the brim with history, intricately carved sculptures of religious figures, serene chapels, kaleidoscopic stained-glass windows. The Washington National Cathedral is a pillar of Washington D.C’s landscape.
According to the cathedral’s website, cathedral.org, the Washington National Cathedral was constructed under a charter by Congress to fulfill a request by George Washington and Major L’Enfant to build a “great church for national purposes.” Located just 15 minutes from Downtown Washington D.C., the regal landscape of the cathedral serves as a hub for prayer services, memorials and other events for political officials and important figures.
Once or twice a year, each branch of the armed forces comes to the cathedral to practice the protocol in the event of a state funeral.
“When there are changes in command with the military district in Washington D.C., we do the drills, because (for) many of the past presidents, their services were here,” says cathedral volunteer verger Steve Staphos.
The cathedral became an important location for state funerals and inauguration prayer services in the 20th century and into today. Presidential memorials for Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford and more were held at the Washington National Cathedral. President Woodrow Wilson is buried inside the cathedral. In its early days, the cathedral held most memorials in the Bethlehem Chapel. After the cathedral was finished, most memorials and services have taken place in the nave of the Cathedral, such as the memorials of Presidents Ford and Reagan.
Construction of the cathedral began in 1907 and completed in 1990, making it the longest-running construction project in Washington D.C. The land for the cathedral was purchased in the 1890’s by an Episcopalian group in Washington D.C. The location the Episcopalian bishop chose for the cathedral in 1896 was a steep hill, which after the construction completed helped the cathedral become the highest point in Washington D.C. at 676 ft above sea level. The large size of the cathedral helped it to become the 6th largest cathedral in the world. The expansive gothic cathedral cost about $65 million to build and is made completely from Indiana limestone.
Because the cathedral was made entirely from soft limestone, the building was not suited for a 5.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Washington D.C. on August 24, 2011. The top half of the cathedral could not be supported by the bottom half, so the gargoyles and higher towers experienced most of the damage. Construction crews are still working on making the necessary repairs today, seven years later.
Values of Christianity and the Episcopalian denomination are incorporated throughout the architecture of the cathedral. The two perpendicular aisles in the main chapel form a cross that spans down the length of the cathedral. A gothic architectural style was used in the cathedral to incorporate an intricate design, biblical figures and different aspects of God. The ceilings in the nave were built purposefully high in order to “show God’s glory with the height,” according to Cathedral volunteer Tony Domenico. Many of the stained-glass windows depict biblical scenes or figures, and circular stained-glass windows have Christ at the center.
According to Staphos, the Episcopalian denomination advocates for acceptance of everybody and for people to have the ability to worship any way they want to. The Washington National Cathedral holds three services a day, which gives the general public the opportunity to experience the history, architecture, and the message of the service in the cathedral.
