You might call this the spiritual capitol of the United States. It’s the National Cathedral, located, of course, in our Nation’s capital…or to be more precise, it’s the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington.
For a long time, I thought it was a Catholic church…but I was wrong. It belongs to the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. Construction began in 1907, when Theodore Roosevelt was President. Believe it or not, the last piece of construction, the last finial, was placed in 1990. Congress has designated the Washington National Cathedral as the "National House of Prayer".
Funerals for three presidents were held here…Dwight Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, and Gerald Ford. Memorial services were also held here for five other Presidents. In addition, funerals were held here for some of the most prominent people in US history. So it is indeed part of our history and our national legacy.
Architecturally, its design shows a mix of influences from the various Gothic architectural styles of the Middle Ages, identifiable in its pointed arches, flying buttresses, a variety of ceiling vaulting, stained-glass windows and carved decorations in stone, and by its three similar outside towers, two on the west front and one surmounting the crossing.
The high alter was made from stones quarried at Solomon’s Quarry outside of Jerusalem, the the pulpit was carved out of stones for Canterbury Cathedral in Great Britain. In the floor directly in front of that altar are set ten stones from the Chapel of Moses on Mount Sinai. So this mighty cathedral is indeed part the history of the U.S. and the world.
Photographically, I shot this photo on film…and without a tripod or any anti-shake mechanism (hadn’t been invented yet). Pretty amazing that it came out at all. But, with the help of some enhancements in Photoshop to spruce it up a bit, the photo is alive and well.
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