Washington National Cathedral. Washington Cathedrals. History of the construction of the cathedral

Photo: Washington National Cathedral

The Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, or Washington Cathedral, is the main cathedral of the Anglican Episcopal Church of the United States, located in Washington, USA. The cathedral building is the sixth largest cathedral in the world, built in the neo-Gothic style and the second in the United States. President Theodore Roosevelt was present when the foundation stone was laid for the cathedral on September 29, 1907. Construction lasted 83 years and was officially completed in 1990 in the presence of President George H. W. Bush. The cathedral has been under the administration of the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Trust, created for this purpose, since the decision of Congress to build it on January 6, 1893. The building is located at the intersection of Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues in northwest Washington. Included in the US National Register of Historic Places. On August 23, 2011, as a result of an earthquake, three spiers of one of the towers of the building broke, and the fourth one leaned. Other parts of the cathedral were also damaged.

Architecture

The final design of the cathedral shows a mixture of Gothic and medieval architectural styles. The main building material was light brown sandstone from the quarries of central Indiana. Modern materials were used only for beams and rafters, which were made of wood and steel. In addition, concrete was used for the foundation of the structures supporting the bells and the floor of the western towers. The pulpit, or music stand, was carved from the stones of Canterbury Cathedral, and the bishop's pulpit was made from stone provided by Glastonbury Abbey. The high, or Jerusalem, altar is made from sandstone from Solomon's quarries near Jerusalem, from which stone was extracted for the construction of Solomon's Temple. Set into the floor in front of the altar are ten stones from the Chapel of Moses on Mount Sinai, symbolizing the Ten Commandments. Of the more than 200 glass mosaic windows, the most famous is the so-called. a "space window" commemorating the landing of man on the moon, which includes a fragment of moon rock inlaid into the center of the mosaic.

Burials of famous people

The Washington Cathedral and its columbarium are the burial place of many famous Americans. George Dewey (1837-1917) - US Admiral Helen Adams (1880-1968) - American writer Anne Sullivan (1866-1936) - famous educator Stuart Symington (1901-1988) - American politician, senator and presidential candidate Woodrow Wilson (1856- 1924) - 28th US President Edith Wilson (1872-1961) - second wife of Woodrow Wilson, first lady Cordell Hull (1871-1955) - 47th US Secretary of State Funeral ceremonies were held in the cathedral before the funeral of the following US Presidents: Dwight Eisenhower ( 1890-1969) - 34th US President Gerald Ford (1913-2006) - 38th US President Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) - 40th US President

It looks as if this majestic structure was built somewhere in Europe during the Middle Ages.

In fact, it was finally completed relatively recently in 1990.

It can be said that the classic Gothic style of the Washington Cathedral reflects the long history of its construction.

Already in 1792, the city planner Pierre Enfant envisaged the construction of a national church on the site where the National Portrait Gallery is now located.

A century later, in 1893, Congress allowed the Protestant Episcopal Church to build a cathedral in the District of Columbia. In 1896, a 23-hectare site on Mount St. Albans was chosen as the site for a new temple.

Construction

Construction of the Washington National Cathedral began in 1907, but was interrupted by the First World War. When construction resumed, the original architects Frederick Bodley and Henry Vaughan had already died.

American architect Philip Hubert Froman is considered the chief architect of the cathedral from 1921 to 1972.

Construction was halted again during World War II and in 1977 when the fund that raised funds from gifts and donations ran out of money. By this time the central tower and nave were already completed.

In 1980, work resumed. In 1982, the Pilgrim observation deck opened - it offers a magnificent view of. A year later, construction began on the western tower.

Finally, in September 1990, 83 years after construction began, the last stone was put in place.

Cathedral

Washington Cathedral, officially known as the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul, is 92 meters high and 158 meters long. The western towers reach a height of 71 meters.

The buildings were constructed primarily from limestone, and the use of concrete and steel structures was kept to a minimum. Instead, medieval methods were used, such as ribbed vaults and flying buttresses.

Washington Cathedral is artfully decorated with religious and national motifs. One of the carvings is even believed to depict Darth Vader from Star Wars.

One of the cathedral windows is decorated with stained glass in honor of the first moon landing.

And the largest stained glass window is made in the northern rose window, which is 8 meters in diameter. The cathedral also contains 110 gargoyles, carved creatures that drain water through gutters from the walls of the building.

Presidential Funeral

Funeral services for American presidents Woodrow Wilson, Dwight Eisenhower and, more recently, Ronald Reagan were held at the National Cathedral.

Washington Cathedral is located at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Wisconsin Avenue and can be visited daily with a guided tour.

Above the entrance to the Washington Cathedral there is this sculptural panel:

And this is a live panel from the film “The Devil’s Advocate”:

After the film was released, the cathedral sculptor filed a lawsuit against the film company, because the panel from the film looked suspiciously like his work. The Washington Cathedral condemned the film for distorting church art. The release of the film was postponed, a scandal arose... As a result, the film company undertook to paste an explanation on all already released videotapes that the panel of the devil had nothing to do with the panel of the cathedral. And in all subsequent copies of the film, the appearance of this sculptural composition was changed.

While skyscrapers were being built in New York, a Gothic cathedral was being built in Washington. They started under Roosevelt in 1907, finished under Bush Sr. in 1990.

Funding for construction came exclusively from private sources. In some places they used modern materials, but in general they tried to follow all the old rules.

Due to the fact that the cathedral stands on a hill, it offers a beautiful view of the city:


On the left is the dome of the Capitol, on the right is the obelisk of the Washington Memorial. As you can see, the law prohibiting the construction of buildings higher than the Capitol is strictly observed.

The cathedral, medieval in shape, is full of specific American “things”.
There is Churchill Chapel and the Washington Statue:

The central nave is decorated with flags:

The cathedral is famous for its stained glass windows (biblical scenes interspersed with fragments of American history).

Stained glass window on the theme of the astronaut landing on the moon:

An authentic lunar mineral is mounted in its center (photo from the Internet)

In addition, in different parts The cathedral used stones from Canterbury Cathedral (the main Anglican temple in Great Britain), from Solomon's quarries (where sandstone was mined for Solomon's temple) and ten stones from Mount Sinai.

Among the chimeras that traditionally decorate the walls of the Gothic cathedral, there is this one (photo from here):

Yes, yes, this is Darth Vader from " Star Wars" During construction, children were asked to choose the most villainous villain. So they chose Darth Vader.

Returning to the panel. IN this video show exactly what changes were made to The Devil's Advocate (watch from 1:05)