Washington National Cathedral
Encyclopedia
The Washington National Cathedral, officially named the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, is a cathedral
of the Episcopal Church
located in Washington, D.C.
, the capital of the United States
. Of neogothic design, it is the sixth-largest cathedral in the world, the second-largest in the United States, and the fourth-tallest structure in Washington, D.C. The cathedral is the seat
of both the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Katharine Jefferts Schori
as of 2011; and the Bishop of the Diocese of Washington
, John Bryson Chane
as of 2011. In 2009, nearly 400,000 visitors toured the structure. The congregation numbers 800.
The Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation
, under the first seven Bishops of Washington, erected the cathedral under a charter passed by the United States Congress
on January 6, 1893. Construction began on September 29, 1907, when the foundation stone was laid in the presence of President
Theodore Roosevelt
and a crowd of more than 20,000, and ended 83 years later when the last finial
was placed in the presence of President George H. W. Bush
in 1990. Decorative work, such as carvings and statuary, is ongoing as of 2011. The foundation operates and funds the cathedral, which also receives funding from the U.S. government
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/arts-post/2011/02/americas_treasures_receive_fed.html.
The cathedral stands at Massachusetts
and Wisconsin avenues in the northwest quadrant
of Washington. It is an associate member of the Washington Theological Consortium
. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. In 2007, it was ranked third on the List of America's Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architects
.
now occupies that site. In 1891, a meeting was held to renew plans for a national cathedral. In 1893, the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation of the District of Columbia was granted a charter from Congress to establish the cathedral. The commanding site on Mount Saint Alban was chosen. Henry Yates Satterlee
, first Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of Washington, chose Frederick Bodley, England's leading Anglican
church architect
, as the head architect. Henry Vaughan
was selected supervising architect.
Construction started September 29, 1907, with a ceremonial address by President Theodore Roosevelt
and the laying of the cornerstone. In 1912, Bethlehem Chapel opened for services in the unfinished cathedral, which have continued daily ever since. When construction of the cathedral resumed after a brief hiatus for World War I
, both Bodley and Vaughan had died. Gen. John J. Pershing
led fundraising efforts for the church after World War I. American architect Philip Hubert Frohman took over the design of the cathedral and was thenceforth designated the principal architect. Funding for the National Cathedral has come entirely from private sources. Maintenance and upkeep continue to rely entirely upon private support.
, monthly services were held there "on behalf of a united people in a time of emergency". Before and since, the building has hosted other major events, both religious and secular, that have drawn the attention of the American people.
:
Other events include:
In addition, it was from Washington National Cathedral's Canterbury Pulpit that the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.
delivered the final Sunday sermon of his life, just a few days before his assassination. A memorial service for King was held at the cathedral later the same week.
. Finial stones on several pinnacles broke off, and several pinnacles twisted out of alignment or collapsed entirely; some gargoyles and other carvings were damaged, and a hole was punched through the metal-clad roof by falling masonry. Cracks have also appeared in the flying buttresses surrounding the apse. Inside, initial inspections revealed less damage, with some mortar joints loose or falling out; the stone vaults have been deemed to be sound. The 5.8 earthquake, the largest the east coast of the United States had seen since 1944, was felt very strongly in Washington, D.C., and damaged several buildings along with the cathedral. Repairs are expected to cost millions and take several years to complete. The cathedral will be closed from August 22, 2011-November 7, 2011.
architectural styles of the Middle Ages
, identifiable in its pointed arch
es, flying buttress
es, a variety of ceiling vaulting
, stained-glass
windows and carved decorations in stone, and by its three similar towers, two on the west front and one surmounting the crossing
. During an earthquake
on August 23, 2011 three of the four top spires fell off the cathedral. The fourth spire was leaning.
Washington National Cathedral consists of a long, narrow rectangular mass formed by a nine-bay nave
with wide side aisles and a five-bay chancel
, intersected by a six bay transept
. Above the crossing, rising 91 m (301 ft) above the ground, is the Gloria in Excelsis Tower; its top, at 206 m (676 ft) above sea level
, is the highest point in Washington. The Pilgrim Observation Gallery—which occupies a space about 3/4ths of the way up in the west-end towers—provides sweeping views of the city. In total, the cathedral is 115 m (375 ft) above sea level. Unique in North America, the central tower has two full sets of bells — a 53-bell carillon
and a 10-bell peal for change ringing
; the change bells are rung by members of the Washington Ringing Society. The cathedral sits on a landscaped 57 acre (230,000 m²) plot on Mount Saint Alban.
The one-story porch projecting from the south transept has a large portal with a carved tympanum
. This portal is approached by the Pilgrim Steps, a long flight of steps 12 m (40 ft) wide.
Most of the building is constructed using a buff-colored Indiana limestone
over a traditional masonry core. Structural, load-bearing steel is limited to the roof's trusses (traditionally built of timber); concrete is used significantly in the support structures for bells of the central tower, and the floors in the west towers.
The pulpit
was carved out of stones from Canterbury Cathedral
; Glastonbury Abbey
provided stone for the bishop's formal seat, the cathedra
. The high altar, The Jerusalem Altar, is made from stones quarried at Solomon's Quarry near Jerusalem, reputedly where the stones for Solomon's Temple
were quarried. In the floor directly in front of that altar are set ten stones from the Chapel of Moses on Mount Sinai
, representing the Ten Commandments as a foundation for the Jerusalem Altar.
There are many other works of art including over two hundred stained glass windows, the most familiar of which may be the Space Window, honoring man's landing on the Moon
, which includes a fragment of lunar rock at its center. Extensive wrought iron adorns the building, a large amount of it being the work of Samuel Yellin
. A substantial gate of forged iron by Albert Paley
was installed on the north side of the crypt level in 2008. Intricate woodcarving, wall-sized murals and mosaics, and monumental cast bronze gates can also be found. Most of the decorative elements have Christian symbolism, in reference to the church's Episcopalian roots, but the cathedral is filled with memorials to persons or events of national significance: statues of Washington
and Lincoln
, state seals embedded in the marble floor of the narthex
, state flags that hang along the nave, stained glass commemorating events like the Lewis and Clark expedition and the raising of the American flag at Iwo Jima
.
The cathedral was built with several intentional "flaws" in keeping with an apocryphal medieval custom that sought to illustrate that only God can be perfect. Artistically speaking, these flaws (which often come in the form of intentional asymmetries) draw the observer's focus to the sacred geometry
as well as compensate for visual distortions, a practice that has been used since the Pyramids
and the Parthenon
. Architecturally, it is thought that if the main aisle of the cathedral where it meets the cross section were not tilted slightly off its axis, a person who looked straight down the aisle could experience a slight visual distortion, rendering the building shorter than it is, much like looking down railroad tracks. The architects designed the crypt chapels in Norman, Romanesque, and Transitional styles predating the Gothic, as though the cathedral had been built as a successor to earlier churches, a common occurrence in European cathedrals.
The Cathedral boasts what is probably the world's only sculpture of Darth Vader
on a religious building. During construction of the west towers of the Cathedral, developers decided to hold a competition for children to design decorative sculptures for the Cathedral. The image of the villainous Vader, sculpted by Jay Hall Carpenter and carved by Patrick J. Plunkett, was placed high upon the northwest tower of the Cathedral, fulfilling the role of a traditional grotesque
. There are many gargoyle
s on the cathedral. The gargoyle designs are varying, but they are usually located on a roof or tower.
contributed a landscaping plan for the cathedral close. After Bodley died in 1907, his partner Henry Vaughan
revised the original design, but work stopped during World War I
and Vaughan died in 1917. When work resumed, the chapter hired New York architecture firm Frohman, Robb and Little to execute the building. Philip Hubert Frohman, who had designed his first fully functional home at the age of 14 and received his architectural degree at the age of 16, and his partners worked to perfect Bodley's vision, adding the carillon section of the central tower, enlarging the west façade
, and making numerous smaller changes. Ralph Adams Cram
was hired to supervise Frohman, because of his experience with the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City
, but Cram insisted on so many major changes to the original design that Frohman convinced the Cathedral Chapter to fire him. By Frohman's death in 1972, the final plans had been completed and the building was finished accordingly.
of the bishop of Washington (currently the Right Reverend John Bryson Chane
) and the primatial seat
of the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church (currently the Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori
). Bishop Chane has announced his retirement, effective in the fall, 2011. The Rev. Dr. Mariann Edgar Budde was elected by the diocese of Washington in June, 2011, to replace Bishop Chane; upon her confirmation, she will be the 9th bishop of the diocese, and the first woman to fill that role.
The current dean
of the cathedral is the Very Reverend Samuel T. Lloyd III
, who took office on April 23, 2005; he has announced his retirement, effective September 18, 2011. Lloyd will return to Trinity Church, Boston to assume the role of Priest-in-Charge. Before becoming dean, Lloyd was the chaplain
of the University of the South and later rector
of Trinity Church
in Boston, Massachusetts.
Former deans:
The National Cathedral Association
(NCA) seeks to raise and provide funds for and promote the Washington National Cathedral. Across the United States, it has more than 14,000 members, more than 88 percent of whom live outside the Washington area, and who are divided into committees by state
. Visitors to the cathedral provide another significant source of funds, through donations and group touring fees. Every year, each state has a state day at the cathedral, on which that state is recognized by name in the prayers. Over a span of about four years, each state is further recognized at a Major State Day, at which time those who live in the state are encouraged to make a pilgrimage
to the cathedral and dignitaries from the state are invited to speak. American state flags were displayed in the nave
until 2007; currently the display of the state flags alternates throughout the year with the display of liturgical banners hung on the pillars, reflecting the seasons of the Church year.
The budget, $27 million in 2008, was trimmed to $13 million in 2010. Staff was reduced from 170 to 70. There was an endowment of $50 million.
. Four services (and five in the summer) are held each weekday, including the daily Eucharist. Sunday through Thursday, the Cathedral Choirs sing Evensong
. The forty-minute service is attended by roughly fifty to seventy-five people (more on Sunday). Five services of the Eucharist are also held on Sunday, including the Contemporary Folk Eucharist held in the Chapel of St. Joseph of Arimathea
, and a Healing Eucharist in the late evening.
The cathedral also has been a temporary home to several congregations, including a Jewish
synagogue
and an Eastern Orthodox
community. It has also been the site for several ecumenical
and/or interfaith services. In October 2005, at the cathedral, the Rev. Nancy Wilson
was consecrated and installed as Moderator (Denominational Executive) of the Metropolitan Community Church
, by its founding Moderator, the Rev. Dr. Troy Perry
.
Each Christmas, the cathedral holds special services, which are broadcast
to the world. The service of lessons and carols
is distributed by Public Radio International
. Christmas at Washington National Cathedral is a live television broadcast of the 9 a.m. Eucharist on Christmas Day. It is produced by Allbritton Communications and is shown on national affiliates in most cities around the United States. Some affiliates broadcast the service at noon. The Christmas service at the cathedral has been broadcast to the nation on television since 1953.
, the Cathedral school for boys, on singing scholarships.
In 1997, the Cathedral Choir of Men and Girls was formed by Bruce Neswick, using the same men as the choir of the men and boys. The two choirs currently share service duties and occasionally collaborate. The girl choristers attend the National Cathedral School
.
Both choirs have recently recorded several CDs
, including a Christmas
album
; a U.S. premiere recording of Ståle Kleiberg
's Requiem for the Victims of Nazi
Persecution; and a patriotic
album, America the Beautiful.
The choirs rehearse separately every weekday morning in a graded class incorporated into their school schedule. The choristers sing Evensong
five days a week (the Boys Choir on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the Girls Choir on Mondays and Wednesdays). The choirs alternate Sunday worship duties, singing both morning Eucharist
and afternoon Evensong when they are on call. The choirs also sing for numerous state and national events. The choirs are also featured annually on Christmas at Washington National Cathedral, broadcast nationally on Christmas Day.
The Great Organ
was installed by the Ernest M. Skinner
& Son Organ Company in 1938. The original instrument consisted of approximately 8,400 pipes. The instrument was enlarged by the Aeolian-Skinner
Organ Company in 1963 and again between 1970 and 1975, during which time more than half of the original instrument was removed. The present instrument consists of 189 ranks and 10,647 pipes. It is the largest organ in the city of Washington and one of the 20 largest organs in the world.
|}
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
of the Episcopal Church
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
located in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, the capital of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Of neogothic design, it is the sixth-largest cathedral in the world, the second-largest in the United States, and the fourth-tallest structure in Washington, D.C. The cathedral is the seat
Cathedra
A cathedra or bishop's throne is the chair or throne of a bishop. It is a symbol of the bishop's teaching authority in the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, and has in some sense remained such in the Anglican Communion and in Lutheran churches...
of both the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Katharine Jefferts Schori
Katharine Jefferts Schori
Katharine Jefferts Schori is the 26th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United States. Previously elected as the 9th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada, she is the first woman elected as a primate of the Anglican Communion...
as of 2011; and the Bishop of the Diocese of Washington
Episcopal Diocese of Washington
The Episcopal Diocese of Washington is the ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Episcopal Bishop of Washington in the United States. The territory comprises the District of Columbia and the Maryland counties of Charles, St. Mary's, Prince George's and Montgomery...
, John Bryson Chane
John Bryson Chane
John Bryson Chane is the Eighth Bishop of Washington in the The Episcopal Church. He was elected on the second ballot and was consecrated on June 1, 2002. In his capacity as bishop, he also served as interim dean of Washington National Cathedral while it searched for a new dean...
as of 2011. In 2009, nearly 400,000 visitors toured the structure. The congregation numbers 800.
The Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation
Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation
The Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation was chartered by Congress on January 6, 1893 and oversees the Washington National Cathedral and its sister institutions...
, under the first seven Bishops of Washington, erected the cathedral under a charter passed by the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
on January 6, 1893. Construction began on September 29, 1907, when the foundation stone was laid in the presence of President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
and a crowd of more than 20,000, and ended 83 years later when the last finial
Finial
The finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
was placed in the presence of President George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
in 1990. Decorative work, such as carvings and statuary, is ongoing as of 2011. The foundation operates and funds the cathedral, which also receives funding from the U.S. government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/arts-post/2011/02/americas_treasures_receive_fed.html.
The cathedral stands at Massachusetts
Massachusetts Avenue (Washington, D.C.)
Massachusetts Avenue is a major diagonal transverse road in Washington, D.C., and the Massachusetts Avenue Historic District is a historic district that includes part of it....
and Wisconsin avenues in the northwest quadrant
Washington, D.C. (northwest)
Northwest is the northwestern quadrant of Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and is located north of the National Mall and west of North Capitol Street...
of Washington. It is an associate member of the Washington Theological Consortium
Washington Theological Consortium
The Washington Theological Consortium is an ecumenical organization with its regular membership composed of Christian theological schools located in or near the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area that cooperate and share resources....
. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. In 2007, it was ranked third on the List of America's Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
.
Construction
In 1792, Pierre L'Enfant's "Plan of the Federal City" set aside land for a "great church for national purposes." The National Portrait GalleryNational Portrait Gallery (United States)
The National Portrait Gallery is an art gallery in Washington, D.C., administered by the Smithsonian Institution. Its collections focus on images of famous individual Americans.-Building:...
now occupies that site. In 1891, a meeting was held to renew plans for a national cathedral. In 1893, the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation of the District of Columbia was granted a charter from Congress to establish the cathedral. The commanding site on Mount Saint Alban was chosen. Henry Yates Satterlee
Henry Yates Satterlee
Henry Yates Satterlee was the first Episcopal Bishop of Washington, serving from 1896 to 1908. He established the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, popularly known as Washington National Cathedral.-Early life:...
, first Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of Washington, chose Frederick Bodley, England's leading Anglican
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
church architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, as the head architect. Henry Vaughan
Henry Vaughan (Architect)
Henry Vaughan , a prolific and talented church architect, came to America to bring the English Gothic style to the American branch of the Anglican Communion . He was an apprentice under George Frederick Bodley and went on to great success popularizing the Gothic Revival style.-Life:Vaughan was...
was selected supervising architect.
Construction started September 29, 1907, with a ceremonial address by President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
and the laying of the cornerstone. In 1912, Bethlehem Chapel opened for services in the unfinished cathedral, which have continued daily ever since. When construction of the cathedral resumed after a brief hiatus for World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, both Bodley and Vaughan had died. Gen. John J. Pershing
John J. Pershing
John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing, GCB , was a general officer in the United States Army who led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I...
led fundraising efforts for the church after World War I. American architect Philip Hubert Frohman took over the design of the cathedral and was thenceforth designated the principal architect. Funding for the National Cathedral has come entirely from private sources. Maintenance and upkeep continue to rely entirely upon private support.
National House of Prayer
Congress has designated the Washington National Cathedral as the "National House of Prayer". During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, monthly services were held there "on behalf of a united people in a time of emergency". Before and since, the building has hosted other major events, both religious and secular, that have drawn the attention of the American people.
Major events
Among them are the state funerals for four American PresidentsPresident of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
:
- Woodrow WilsonWoodrow WilsonThomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
(1924): Wilson was also interred at the cathedral - Dwight Eisenhower (1969): Eisenhower lay in repose at the cathedral before lying in stateLying in stateLying in state is a term used to describe the tradition in which a coffin is placed on view to allow the public at large to pay their respects to the deceased. It traditionally takes place in the principal government building of a country or city...
- Ronald ReaganRonald ReaganRonald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
(2004) - Gerald FordGerald FordGerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
(2007)
- Funeral for Secretary of Commerce Ronald BrownRon Brown (U.S. politician)Ronald Harmon "Ron" Brown was the United States Secretary of Commerce, serving during the first term of President Bill Clinton. He was the first African American to hold this position...
(1996) - Funeral for U.S. Ambassador to France Pamela HarrimanPamela HarrimanPamela Beryl Harriman , also known as Pamela Churchill Harriman, was an English-born socialite who was married and linked to important and powerful men. In later life, she became a political activist for the United States Democratic Party and a diplomat...
(1997) - Funeral for Washington Post publisher Katharine GrahamKatharine GrahamKatharine Meyer Graham was an American publisher. She led her family's newspaper, The Washington Post, for more than two decades, overseeing its most famous period, the Watergate coverage that eventually led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon...
(2001) - Funeral for educator and civil rights leader Dorothy HeightDorothy HeightDorothy Irene Height was an American administrator, educator, and social activist. She was the president of the National Council of Negro Women for forty years, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994, and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004.-Early life:Height was born in...
(2010) - Presidential prayer service the day after a presidential inauguration, and attended by Presidents: Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1937; Ronald Reagan in 1985; George H.W. Bush in 1989; George W. Bush in 2001 and 2005, and Barack Obama in 2009.
- Memorial service for President Harry S. TrumanHarry S. TrumanHarry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
(1973). Truman had planned a state funeral and burial at the cathedral. However, due to the advanced age of his wife BessBess TrumanBess Truman , was the wife of Harry S. Truman and First Lady of the United States from 1945 to 1953.-Early life:...
, the service was instead conducted privately in MissouriMissouriMissouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. Foreign dignitaries gathered for a memorial service at the cathedral a week after the funeral. - Memorial service for the casualties of the Vietnam War on November 14, 1982.
- Memorial service for the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacksSeptember 11, 2001 attacksThe September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
. - Special evensongEvening Prayer (Anglican)Evening Prayer is a liturgy in use in the Anglican Communion and celebrated in the late afternoon or evening...
for the victims of the Virginia Tech massacreVirginia Tech massacreThe Virginia Tech massacre was a school shooting that took place on April 16, 2007, on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States. In two separate attacks, approximately two hours apart, the perpetrator, Seung-Hui Cho, killed 32 people...
.
In addition, it was from Washington National Cathedral's Canterbury Pulpit that the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
delivered the final Sunday sermon of his life, just a few days before his assassination. A memorial service for King was held at the cathedral later the same week.
2011 earthquake
The cathedral was damaged during the 2011 Virginia earthquake2011 Virginia earthquake
The 2011 Virginia earthquake occurred on August 23, 2011, at 1:51 pm EDT in the Piedmont region of the U.S. state of Virginia. The epicenter, in Louisa County, was northwest of Richmond and south-southwest of the town of Mineral...
. Finial stones on several pinnacles broke off, and several pinnacles twisted out of alignment or collapsed entirely; some gargoyles and other carvings were damaged, and a hole was punched through the metal-clad roof by falling masonry. Cracks have also appeared in the flying buttresses surrounding the apse. Inside, initial inspections revealed less damage, with some mortar joints loose or falling out; the stone vaults have been deemed to be sound. The 5.8 earthquake, the largest the east coast of the United States had seen since 1944, was felt very strongly in Washington, D.C., and damaged several buildings along with the cathedral. Repairs are expected to cost millions and take several years to complete. The cathedral will be closed from August 22, 2011-November 7, 2011.
Architecture
Its final design shows a mix of influences from the various GothicGothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
architectural styles of the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, identifiable in its pointed arch
Arch
An arch is a structure that spans a space and supports a load. Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture and their systematic use started with the Ancient Romans who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures.-Technical aspects:The...
es, flying buttress
Flying buttress
A flying buttress is a specific form of buttressing most strongly associated with Gothic church architecture. The purpose of any buttress is to resist the lateral forces pushing a wall outwards by redirecting them to the ground...
es, a variety of ceiling vaulting
Vault (architecture)
A Vault is an architectural term for an arched form used to provide a space with a ceiling or roof. The parts of a vault exert lateral thrust that require a counter resistance. When vaults are built underground, the ground gives all the resistance required...
, stained-glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
windows and carved decorations in stone, and by its three similar towers, two on the west front and one surmounting the crossing
Crossing (architecture)
A crossing, in ecclesiastical architecture, is the junction of the four arms of a cruciform church.In a typically oriented church , the crossing gives access to the nave on the west, the transept arms on the north and south, and the choir on the east.The crossing is sometimes surmounted by a tower...
. During an earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
on August 23, 2011 three of the four top spires fell off the cathedral. The fourth spire was leaning.
Washington National Cathedral consists of a long, narrow rectangular mass formed by a nine-bay nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
with wide side aisles and a five-bay chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
, intersected by a six bay transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
. Above the crossing, rising 91 m (301 ft) above the ground, is the Gloria in Excelsis Tower; its top, at 206 m (676 ft) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, is the highest point in Washington. The Pilgrim Observation Gallery—which occupies a space about 3/4ths of the way up in the west-end towers—provides sweeping views of the city. In total, the cathedral is 115 m (375 ft) above sea level. Unique in North America, the central tower has two full sets of bells — a 53-bell carillon
Carillon
A carillon is a musical instrument that is typically housed in a free-standing bell tower, or the belfry of a church or other municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cast bronze, cup-shaped bells, which are played serially to play a melody, or sounded together to play a chord...
and a 10-bell peal for change ringing
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
; the change bells are rung by members of the Washington Ringing Society. The cathedral sits on a landscaped 57 acre (230,000 m²) plot on Mount Saint Alban.
The one-story porch projecting from the south transept has a large portal with a carved tympanum
Tympanum (architecture)
In architecture, a tympanum is the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, bounded by a lintel and arch. It often contains sculpture or other imagery or ornaments. Most architectural styles include this element....
. This portal is approached by the Pilgrim Steps, a long flight of steps 12 m (40 ft) wide.
Most of the building is constructed using a buff-colored Indiana limestone
Indiana Limestone
Indiana Limestone, also known as Bedford Limestone is a common regional term for Salem limestone, a geological formation primarily quarried in south central Indiana between Bloomington and Bedford....
over a traditional masonry core. Structural, load-bearing steel is limited to the roof's trusses (traditionally built of timber); concrete is used significantly in the support structures for bells of the central tower, and the floors in the west towers.
The pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
was carved out of stones from Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site....
; Glastonbury Abbey
Glastonbury Abbey
Glastonbury Abbey was a monastery in Glastonbury, Somerset, England. The ruins are now a grade I listed building, and a Scheduled Ancient Monument and are open as a visitor attraction....
provided stone for the bishop's formal seat, the cathedra
Cathedra
A cathedra or bishop's throne is the chair or throne of a bishop. It is a symbol of the bishop's teaching authority in the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, and has in some sense remained such in the Anglican Communion and in Lutheran churches...
. The high altar, The Jerusalem Altar, is made from stones quarried at Solomon's Quarry near Jerusalem, reputedly where the stones for Solomon's Temple
Solomon's Temple
Solomon's Temple, also known as the First Temple, was the main temple in ancient Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount , before its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar II after the Siege of Jerusalem of 587 BCE....
were quarried. In the floor directly in front of that altar are set ten stones from the Chapel of Moses on Mount Sinai
Mount Sinai
Mount Sinai , also known as Mount Horeb, Mount Musa, Gabal Musa , Jabal Musa meaning "Moses' Mountain", is a mountain near Saint Catherine in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. A mountain called Mount Sinai is mentioned many times in the Book of Exodus in the Torah and the Bible as well as the Quran...
, representing the Ten Commandments as a foundation for the Jerusalem Altar.
There are many other works of art including over two hundred stained glass windows, the most familiar of which may be the Space Window, honoring man's landing on the Moon
Project Apollo
The Apollo program was the spaceflight effort carried out by the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration , that landed the first humans on Earth's Moon. Conceived during the Presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Apollo began in earnest after President John F...
, which includes a fragment of lunar rock at its center. Extensive wrought iron adorns the building, a large amount of it being the work of Samuel Yellin
Samuel Yellin
Samuel Yellin , American master blacksmith, was born in Galicia Poland where at the age of eleven he was apprenticed to an iron master. By the age of sixteen he had completed his apprenticeship. During that period he gained the nickname of "Devil," both for his work habits and his sense of humor...
. A substantial gate of forged iron by Albert Paley
Albert Paley
Albert Paley is a modernist American metal sculptor, who was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1944. He earned both a BFA and an MFA from the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. Paley initially worked as a goldsmith and moved to Rochester, New York in 1969 to teach at the Rochester Institute...
was installed on the north side of the crypt level in 2008. Intricate woodcarving, wall-sized murals and mosaics, and monumental cast bronze gates can also be found. Most of the decorative elements have Christian symbolism, in reference to the church's Episcopalian roots, but the cathedral is filled with memorials to persons or events of national significance: statues of Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
and Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, state seals embedded in the marble floor of the narthex
Narthex
The narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area, located at the end of the nave, at the far end from the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex was a part of the church building, but was not considered part of the church proper...
, state flags that hang along the nave, stained glass commemorating events like the Lewis and Clark expedition and the raising of the American flag at Iwo Jima
Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima
Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima is a historic photograph taken on February 23, 1945, by Joe Rosenthal. It depicts five United States Marines and a U.S. Navy corpsman raising the flag of the United States atop Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II.The photograph was extremely...
.
The cathedral was built with several intentional "flaws" in keeping with an apocryphal medieval custom that sought to illustrate that only God can be perfect. Artistically speaking, these flaws (which often come in the form of intentional asymmetries) draw the observer's focus to the sacred geometry
Sacred geometry
Sacred geometry is the geometry used in the planning and construction of religious structures such as churches, temples, mosques, religious monuments, altars, tabernacles; as well as for sacred spaces such as temenoi, sacred groves, village greens and holy wells, and the creation of religious art...
as well as compensate for visual distortions, a practice that has been used since the Pyramids
Egyptian pyramids
The Egyptian pyramids are ancient pyramid-shaped masonry structures located in Egypt.There are 138 pyramids discovered in Egypt as of 2008. Most were built as tombs for the country's Pharaohs and their consorts during the Old and Middle Kingdom periods.The earliest known Egyptian pyramids are found...
and the Parthenon
Parthenon
The Parthenon is a temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their virgin patron. Its construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the height of its power. It was completed in 438 BC, although...
. Architecturally, it is thought that if the main aisle of the cathedral where it meets the cross section were not tilted slightly off its axis, a person who looked straight down the aisle could experience a slight visual distortion, rendering the building shorter than it is, much like looking down railroad tracks. The architects designed the crypt chapels in Norman, Romanesque, and Transitional styles predating the Gothic, as though the cathedral had been built as a successor to earlier churches, a common occurrence in European cathedrals.
The Cathedral boasts what is probably the world's only sculpture of Darth Vader
Darth Vader Grotesque
Darth Vader Grotesque is a limestone gargoyle by Jay Hall Carpenter.It is located at the Washington National Cathedral, Northwest, Washington, D.C....
on a religious building. During construction of the west towers of the Cathedral, developers decided to hold a competition for children to design decorative sculptures for the Cathedral. The image of the villainous Vader, sculpted by Jay Hall Carpenter and carved by Patrick J. Plunkett, was placed high upon the northwest tower of the Cathedral, fulfilling the role of a traditional grotesque
Grotesque
The word grotesque comes from the same Latin root as "Grotto", meaning a small cave or hollow. The original meaning was restricted to an extravagant style of Ancient Roman decorative art rediscovered and then copied in Rome at the end of the 15th century...
. There are many gargoyle
Gargoyle
In architecture, a gargoyle is a carved stone grotesque, usually made of granite, with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between...
s on the cathedral. The gargoyle designs are varying, but they are usually located on a roof or tower.
Architects
The cathedral's master plan was designed by George Frederick Bodley, a highly regarded British Gothic Revival architect of the late-19th and early-20th centuries, and was influenced by Canterbury. Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr.Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr.
Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. was an American landscape architect best known for his wildlife conservation efforts. He had a lifetime commitment to national parks, and worked on projects in Acadia, the Everglades and Yosemite National Park. Olmsted Point in Yosemite and Olmsted Island at Great Falls...
contributed a landscaping plan for the cathedral close. After Bodley died in 1907, his partner Henry Vaughan
Henry Vaughan (Architect)
Henry Vaughan , a prolific and talented church architect, came to America to bring the English Gothic style to the American branch of the Anglican Communion . He was an apprentice under George Frederick Bodley and went on to great success popularizing the Gothic Revival style.-Life:Vaughan was...
revised the original design, but work stopped during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and Vaughan died in 1917. When work resumed, the chapter hired New York architecture firm Frohman, Robb and Little to execute the building. Philip Hubert Frohman, who had designed his first fully functional home at the age of 14 and received his architectural degree at the age of 16, and his partners worked to perfect Bodley's vision, adding the carillon section of the central tower, enlarging the west façade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
, and making numerous smaller changes. Ralph Adams Cram
Ralph Adams Cram
Ralph Adams Cram FAIA, , was a prolific and influential American architect of collegiate and ecclesiastical buildings, often in the Gothic style. Cram & Ferguson and Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson are partnerships in which he worked.-Early life:Cram was born on December 16, 1863 at Hampton Falls, New...
was hired to supervise Frohman, because of his experience with the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, but Cram insisted on so many major changes to the original design that Frohman convinced the Cathedral Chapter to fire him. By Frohman's death in 1972, the final plans had been completed and the building was finished accordingly.
Leadership and funding
The cathedral is both the episcopal seatCathedra
A cathedra or bishop's throne is the chair or throne of a bishop. It is a symbol of the bishop's teaching authority in the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, and has in some sense remained such in the Anglican Communion and in Lutheran churches...
of the bishop of Washington (currently the Right Reverend John Bryson Chane
John Bryson Chane
John Bryson Chane is the Eighth Bishop of Washington in the The Episcopal Church. He was elected on the second ballot and was consecrated on June 1, 2002. In his capacity as bishop, he also served as interim dean of Washington National Cathedral while it searched for a new dean...
) and the primatial seat
Primate (religion)
Primate is a title or rank bestowed on some bishops in certain Christian churches. Depending on the particular tradition, it can denote either jurisdictional authority or ceremonial precedence ....
of the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church (currently the Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori
Katharine Jefferts Schori
Katharine Jefferts Schori is the 26th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United States. Previously elected as the 9th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada, she is the first woman elected as a primate of the Anglican Communion...
). Bishop Chane has announced his retirement, effective in the fall, 2011. The Rev. Dr. Mariann Edgar Budde was elected by the diocese of Washington in June, 2011, to replace Bishop Chane; upon her confirmation, she will be the 9th bishop of the diocese, and the first woman to fill that role.
The current dean
Dean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
of the cathedral is the Very Reverend Samuel T. Lloyd III
Samuel T. Lloyd III
Samuel T. Lloyd III was the ninth dean of the Washington National Cathedral. He was installed April 23, 2005. His final Sunday as dean was September 18, 2011. Previously he was rector of Trinity Church, one of the largest churches in Boston, Massachusetts, chaplain of the University of the South,...
, who took office on April 23, 2005; he has announced his retirement, effective September 18, 2011. Lloyd will return to Trinity Church, Boston to assume the role of Priest-in-Charge. Before becoming dean, Lloyd was the chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
of the University of the South and later rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Trinity Church
Trinity Church, Boston
Trinity Church in the City of Boston, located in the Back Bay of Boston, Massachusetts, is a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. The congregation, currently standing at approximately 3,000 households, was founded in 1733. The current rector is The Reverend Anne Bonnyman...
in Boston, Massachusetts.
Former deans:
- Alfred Harding (1909–1916)
- George C. F. Bratenahl (1916–1936)
- Noble C. PowellNoble C. PowellNoble Cilley Powell , was a prominent leader in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America....
(1937–1941) - Zebarney T. Phillips (1941–1942)
- John W. Suter (1944–1950)
- Francis B. Sayre, Jr.Francis B. Sayre, Jr.The Very Rev. Francis B. Sayre Jr. was Dean of the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. for 27 years. He was the fourth grandchild of President Woodrow Wilson....
(1951–1978) - John T. WalkerJohn T. WalkerJohn Thomas Walker was Bishop of Washington from 1977 to 1989 in the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. From 1978 to 1989, he also served as Dean of Washington National Cathedral. Previously, he served as Bishop Coadjutor from 1976 to 1977 and Bishop Suffragan from 1971 to 1976...
(1978–1989; simultaneously bishop) - Nathan D. BaxterNathan D. BaxterThe Rt. Rev. Nathan Dwight Baxter, AHC, is the 10th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania and the 1,010 in succession in the Episcopal Church. He was elected as bishop coadjutor on July 22, 2006, and consecrated on October 22, 2006...
(1992–2003)
The National Cathedral Association
National Cathedral Association
The National Cathedral Association is an organization that seeks to provide funds and promote the Washington National Cathedral.It consists of more than 14,000 people across the United States. It is subdivided into State committees. More than 88% of its members live outside the Washington area....
(NCA) seeks to raise and provide funds for and promote the Washington National Cathedral. Across the United States, it has more than 14,000 members, more than 88 percent of whom live outside the Washington area, and who are divided into committees by state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
. Visitors to the cathedral provide another significant source of funds, through donations and group touring fees. Every year, each state has a state day at the cathedral, on which that state is recognized by name in the prayers. Over a span of about four years, each state is further recognized at a Major State Day, at which time those who live in the state are encouraged to make a pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
to the cathedral and dignitaries from the state are invited to speak. American state flags were displayed in the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
until 2007; currently the display of the state flags alternates throughout the year with the display of liturgical banners hung on the pillars, reflecting the seasons of the Church year.
The budget, $27 million in 2008, was trimmed to $13 million in 2010. Staff was reduced from 170 to 70. There was an endowment of $50 million.
Worship
The worship department is, like the cathedral itself, rooted in the doctrine and practice of the Episcopal Church, and based in the Book of Common PrayerBook of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
. Four services (and five in the summer) are held each weekday, including the daily Eucharist. Sunday through Thursday, the Cathedral Choirs sing Evensong
Evensong
The term evensong can refer to the following:* Evening Prayer , the Anglican liturgy of Evening Prayer, especially so called when it is sung...
. The forty-minute service is attended by roughly fifty to seventy-five people (more on Sunday). Five services of the Eucharist are also held on Sunday, including the Contemporary Folk Eucharist held in the Chapel of St. Joseph of Arimathea
Joseph of Arimathea
Joseph of Arimathea was, according to the Gospels, the man who donated his own prepared tomb for the burial of Jesus after Jesus' Crucifixion. He is mentioned in all four Gospels.-Gospel references:...
, and a Healing Eucharist in the late evening.
The cathedral also has been a temporary home to several congregations, including a Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
and an Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
community. It has also been the site for several ecumenical
Ecumenism
Ecumenism or oecumenism mainly refers to initiatives aimed at greater Christian unity or cooperation. It is used predominantly by and with reference to Christian denominations and Christian Churches separated by doctrine, history, and practice...
and/or interfaith services. In October 2005, at the cathedral, the Rev. Nancy Wilson
Nancy Wilson (religious leader)
The Reverend Elder Nancy L. Wilson is an American cleric who serves as the current Moderator of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches ....
was consecrated and installed as Moderator (Denominational Executive) of the Metropolitan Community Church
Metropolitan Community Church
The Metropolitan Community Church or The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches is an international Protestant Christian denomination...
, by its founding Moderator, the Rev. Dr. Troy Perry
Troy Perry
Troy Deroy Perry Jr founded the Metropolitan Community Church, a Christian denomination with a special affirming ministry with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities, in Los Angeles on October 6, 1968.-Early life:...
.
Each Christmas, the cathedral holds special services, which are broadcast
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
to the world. The service of lessons and carols
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...
is distributed by Public Radio International
Public Radio International
Public Radio International is a Minneapolis-based American public radio organization, with locations in Boston, New York, London and Beijing. PRI's tagline is "Hear a different voice." PRI is a major public media content creator and also distributes programs from many sources...
. Christmas at Washington National Cathedral is a live television broadcast of the 9 a.m. Eucharist on Christmas Day. It is produced by Allbritton Communications and is shown on national affiliates in most cities around the United States. Some affiliates broadcast the service at noon. The Christmas service at the cathedral has been broadcast to the nation on television since 1953.
Music
The Washington National Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys, founded in 1909, is one of very few cathedral choirs of men and boys in the United States with an affiliated school, in the English choir tradition. The 18–22 boys singing treble are of ages 8–14 and attend St. Albans SchoolSt. Albans School (Washington, D.C.)
St. Albans School is an independent college preparatory school for boys in grades 4–12, located in Washington, D.C. The school is named after Saint Alban, traditionally regarded as the first British martyr. Within the St...
, the Cathedral school for boys, on singing scholarships.
In 1997, the Cathedral Choir of Men and Girls was formed by Bruce Neswick, using the same men as the choir of the men and boys. The two choirs currently share service duties and occasionally collaborate. The girl choristers attend the National Cathedral School
National Cathedral School
National Cathedral School is an independent Episcopal private day school for girls located on the grounds of the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C...
.
Both choirs have recently recorded several CDs
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
, including a Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
; a U.S. premiere recording of Ståle Kleiberg
Ståle Kleiberg
Ståle Kleiberg is a contemporary classical composer and musicologist from Norway. -Biography:Kleiberg was born in Stavanger in 1958. He graduated from the University of Oslo with a degree in musicology and later from the Norwegian Academy of Music with a diploma degree in composition. In addition...
's Requiem for the Victims of Nazi
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
Persecution; and a patriotic
Patriotism
Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy...
album, America the Beautiful.
The choirs rehearse separately every weekday morning in a graded class incorporated into their school schedule. The choristers sing Evensong
Evening Prayer (Anglican)
Evening Prayer is a liturgy in use in the Anglican Communion and celebrated in the late afternoon or evening...
five days a week (the Boys Choir on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the Girls Choir on Mondays and Wednesdays). The choirs alternate Sunday worship duties, singing both morning Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
and afternoon Evensong when they are on call. The choirs also sing for numerous state and national events. The choirs are also featured annually on Christmas at Washington National Cathedral, broadcast nationally on Christmas Day.
The Great Organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
was installed by the Ernest M. Skinner
Ernest M. Skinner
Ernest M. Skinner was one of the most successful American organ builders of the early 20th century.-Early years:...
& Son Organ Company in 1938. The original instrument consisted of approximately 8,400 pipes. The instrument was enlarged by the Aeolian-Skinner
Aeolian-Skinner
Æolian-Skinner Organ Company, Inc. — Æolian-Skinner of Boston, Massachusetts was an important American builder of a large number of notable pipe organs from its inception as the Skinner Organ Company in 1901 until its closure in 1972. Key figures were Ernest M. Skinner , Arthur Hudson Marks ,...
Organ Company in 1963 and again between 1970 and 1975, during which time more than half of the original instrument was removed. The present instrument consists of 189 ranks and 10,647 pipes. It is the largest organ in the city of Washington and one of the 20 largest organs in the world.
| Brustwerk (Gallery) ---- |
|
| Spitz Prinzipal | 8’ |
| Praestant | 4’ |
| Koppel Nasat | 22/3’ |
| Lieblich Prinzipal | 2’ |
| Mixtur IV–VI | |
| Rankett | 8’ |
| Pedal (Gallery) ---- |
|
| Gedacktbass | 16’ |
| Oktav | 8’ |
| Nason Gedackt | 8’ |
| Superoktav | 4’ |
| Rohrflöte | 4’ |
| Rankett | 16 |
| Rankett | 4’ |
|}
Michael McCarthy (choirmaster)
Michael McCarthy is currently Director of Music at Washington National Cathedral. Previously, he was the founding director of the London Oratory School Schola at the London Oratory in London. In addition to liturgical duties, the Schola recorded for the film scores of Sleepy Hollow, The Lord of the...
is the Director of Music, Scott Dettra is the Cathedral Organist, and Jeremy Filsell
Jeremy Filsell
Jeremy Filsell is an English pianist, organist, and composer.- Biography :Having played piano and organ from a young age, he was a Limpus prize winner for the FRCO examination, which he took when he was 19, and Silver Medallist of the Worshipful Company of Musicians. He studied music at Oxford...
is the Artist-in-Residence. The carillon
Carillon
A carillon is a musical instrument that is typically housed in a free-standing bell tower, or the belfry of a church or other municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cast bronze, cup-shaped bells, which are played serially to play a melody, or sounded together to play a chord...
neur is Edward M. Nassor. Former organists and choirmasters include Edgar Priest, Robert George Barrow, Paul Callaway
Paul Callaway
Paul Smith Callaway was a prominent American organist and choral conductor, particularly well-known for his thirty-eight years at the Washington National Cathedral, Washington, D.C., between 1939–1977...
, Richard Wayne Dirksen
Richard Wayne Dirksen
Richard Wayne Dirksen was an American musician and composer, who served as Organist and Choirmaster of the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., from 1977 to 1988. Previously he was Assistant Organist and Choirmaster from 1942 to 1964...
, Douglas Major
Douglas Major
Douglas Major is a prominent American composer of sacred music and concert organist. He is the former choral director and organist at the Washington National Cathedral, Washington, D.C., where he frequently performed on nationally-televised services and state occasions.-Early life and...
, Bruce Neswick, James Litton
James Litton
James Litton directed the American Boychoir from 1985 to 2001 and is widely recognized as one of the leading choral conductors of the day.-Overview:...
, and Erik Wm. Suter.
The resident symphonic chorus of Washington National Cathedral is the Cathedral Choral Society
Cathedral Choral Society
The Cathedral Choral Society is a 200-voice symphonic chorus based at the Washington National Cathedral. J. Reilly Lewis has been music director since 1985. He succeeded Paul Callaway, who founded the group in 1941...
.
Burials
Several notable American citizens are buried in Washington National Cathedral and its columbariumColumbarium
A columbarium is a place for the respectful and usually public storage of cinerary urns . The term comes from the Latin columba and originally referred to compartmentalized housing for doves and pigeons .The Columbarium of Pomponius Hylas is a particularly fine ancient Roman example, rich in...
:
- Larz AndersonLarz AndersonLarz Anderson III was a wealthy American businessman and diplomat who briefly served as U.S. Ambassador to Japan ....
, businessman, diplomat - Thomas John ClaggettThomas John ClaggettThomas John Claggett was the first bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America to be consecrated on American soil and the first bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland.-Early family life:...
, first Episcopal bishop of MarylandEpiscopal Diocese of MarylandThe Episcopal Diocese of Maryland forms part of Province 3 of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. It is made up of the northern and central Maryland counties of Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard, and Washington...
. - Joseph E. DaviesJoseph E. DaviesJoseph Edward Davies was appointed by President Wilson to be Commissioner of Corporations in 1912, and First Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission in 1915. He was the second Ambassador to represent the United States in the Soviet Union and U.S. Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg...
, diplomat, presidential adviser. He gave a stained-glass window in the Cathedral in honor of his Mother, Rachel Davies (Rahel o Fôn)Rachel Davies (Rahel o Fôn)Rachel Davies was a Welsh-born lecturer and evangelist preacher who emigrated to the USA. She was the first woman minister ordained in the state of Wisconsin. Rahel o Fôn is the Welsh Bardic name for “Rachel of Anglesey”.... - George DeweyGeorge DeweyGeorge Dewey was an admiral of the United States Navy. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War...
, United States NavyUnited States NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
admiral - Philip Frohman, cathedral architect, following the death of BodleyGeorge Frederick BodleyGeorge Frederick Bodley was an English architect working in the Gothic revival style.-Personal life:Bodley was the youngest son of William Hulme Bodley, M.D. of Edinburgh, physician at Hull Royal Infirmary, Kingston upon Hull, who in 1838 retired to his wife's home town, Brighton, Sussex, England....
- Alfred HardingAlfred Harding (bishop)Alfred Harding was the second Episcopal Bishop of Washington. He was elected in 1909 to succeed the Right Rev. Henry Yates Satterlee, the founding bishop of the Diocese of Washington . Harding was de facto dean of the Cathedral from 1909 until 1916.-Biography:He was born on August 15, 1852 in...
, second bishop of WashingtonEpiscopal Diocese of WashingtonThe Episcopal Diocese of Washington is the ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Episcopal Bishop of Washington in the United States. The territory comprises the District of Columbia and the Maryland counties of Charles, St. Mary's, Prince George's and Montgomery... - Cordell HullCordell HullCordell Hull was an American politician from the U.S. state of Tennessee. He is best known as the longest-serving Secretary of State, holding the position for 11 years in the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt during much of World War II...
, United States Secretary of StateUnited States Secretary of StateThe United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence... - Helen KellerHelen KellerHelen Adams Keller was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree....
(ashes), author, lecturer, advocate for the blind and deaf - Frank B. KelloggFrank B. KelloggFrank Billings Kellogg was an American lawyer, politician and statesman who served in the U.S. Senate and as U.S. Secretary of State. He co-authored the Kellogg-Briand Pact, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 1929..- Biography :Kellogg was born in Potsdam, New York, and his family...
, U.S. senatorUnited States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, Secretary of StateUnited States Secretary of StateThe United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence... - Anne Sullivan Macy (ashes), tutor and friend of Helen Keller, first woman interred here
- A.S. Mike Monroney, U.S. representative, senator
- Isabel Weld PerkinsIsabel Weld PerkinsIsabel Weld Perkins , mostly known as Isabel Anderson or Mrs. Larz Anderson after her marriage, was a Boston-area heiress and author who left a legacy to the public that includes a park and two museums. She is interred in the St...
, author, wife of Larz AndersonLarz AndersonLarz Anderson III was a wealthy American businessman and diplomat who briefly served as U.S. Ambassador to Japan .... - Norman PrinceNorman PrinceNorman Prince was a leading founder of France's Lafayette Escadrille with Bill Thaw, Elliott C. Cowdin, Frazier Curtis, and Greeley S. Curtis, Jr....
, fighter pilot, member of the Lafayette EscadrilleLafayette EscadrilleThe Lafayette Escadrille , was an escadrille of the French Air Service, the Aéronautique militaire, during World War I composed largely of American volunteer pilots flying fighters.-History:Dr. Edmund L...
flying corps - Henry Yates SatterleeHenry Yates SatterleeHenry Yates Satterlee was the first Episcopal Bishop of Washington, serving from 1896 to 1908. He established the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, popularly known as Washington National Cathedral.-Early life:...
, first bishop of WashingtonEpiscopal Diocese of WashingtonThe Episcopal Diocese of Washington is the ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Episcopal Bishop of Washington in the United States. The territory comprises the District of Columbia and the Maryland counties of Charles, St. Mary's, Prince George's and Montgomery... - Leo SowerbyLeo SowerbyLeo Sowerby , American composer and church musician, was the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for music in 1946, and was often called the “Dean of American church music” in the early to mid 20th century.-Biography:...
, composer, church musician - Stuart SymingtonStuart SymingtonWilliam Stuart Symington was a businessman and political figure from Missouri. He served as the first Secretary of the Air Force from 1947 to 1950 and was a Democratic United States Senator from Missouri from 1953 to 1976.-Education and business career:...
, U.S. senatorUnited States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, presidential candidate - Henry VaughanHenry Vaughan (Architect)Henry Vaughan , a prolific and talented church architect, came to America to bring the English Gothic style to the American branch of the Anglican Communion . He was an apprentice under George Frederick Bodley and went on to great success popularizing the Gothic Revival style.-Life:Vaughan was...
, architect, associate of BodleyGeorge Frederick BodleyGeorge Frederick Bodley was an English architect working in the Gothic revival style.-Personal life:Bodley was the youngest son of William Hulme Bodley, M.D. of Edinburgh, physician at Hull Royal Infirmary, Kingston upon Hull, who in 1838 retired to his wife's home town, Brighton, Sussex, England.... - Edith Wilson, First Lady of the United StatesFirst Lady of the United StatesFirst Lady of the United States is the title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, the title is most often applied to the wife of a sitting president. The current first lady is Michelle Obama.-Current:The...
and second wife of Woodrow Wilson - Woodrow WilsonWoodrow WilsonThomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
, 28th U.S. presidentPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. Wilson's tomb bears variants on the Seal of the President of the United StatesSeal of the President of the United StatesThe Seal of the President of the United States is used to mark correspondence from the U.S. president to the United States Congress, and is also used as a symbol of the presidency. The central design, based on the Great Seal of the United States, is the official coat of arms of the U.S...
and the coat of armsCoat of armsA coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of Princeton UniversityPrinceton UniversityPrinceton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. Wilson is the only American president buried in the District of Columbia. His grandson, Francis Sayre, Jr.Francis B. Sayre, Jr.The Very Rev. Francis B. Sayre Jr. was Dean of the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. for 27 years. He was the fourth grandchild of President Woodrow Wilson....
, later became dean of the Cathedral.