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Q. I watched the funeral for George H.W. Bush in the National Cathedral. I’d like to know more about the Cathedral’s history. Is the church supported by tax dollars?
A. We will begin with “Washington, D.C.: A Guide to the Nation’s Capital.” During the 1930s the Works Project Administration put writers to work to produce guides to each state. The American Guide Series is famous as a fine source for historical and geographical information. This particular volume was published in 1942 and updated in 1968.
The following excerpts are from this volume.
“The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul is also known as Washington Cathedral and the National Cathedral.
“Inspired by the precepts of fourteenth-century Gothic architecture, the Cathedral Church, seat of the Protestant Episcopal Diocese of Washington, ranks even in its present unfinished state among the great ecclesiastical structures of the country."
According to the cathedral’s website, it was completed 83 years to the day after it was begun – Sept. 29, 1907 to Sept. 29, 1990.
“Situated on a magnificent site, 400 feet above the Potomac, its towering silhouette dominates the northwestern section of the city. The scale of the work, the sense of sound construction and carefully studied detail, are evident in the great choir and the side chapels with their pinnacled buttresses and huge masonry walls. Few churches other than its prototypes of medieval France and England will surpass it, when completed, either in beauty of design and workmanship, or in sheer magnitude.
“In 1893, Congress granted a charter to the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation, empowering it to establish and maintain a ‘Cathedral and institutions of learning for the promotion of religion and education and charity.’
“In 1907, preliminary plans for the Cathedral, drawn by George F. Bodley of London and his pupil, Henry Vaughan of Boston, were accepted, and the foundation stone was brought from Bethlehem. Ground was first broken in 1908.”
After Bodley and Vaughn died, “work was carried on by the architects, Frohman, Robb and Little, who have made necessary revisions. Guided by the principles and traditions of fourteenth-century Gothic architecture, they have employed the methods of construction developed during the Middle Ages and introduced the rich carvings and stained-glass windows, the symbolism and artistry that reached its height just before the Renaissance. Following the traditional cruciform plan, the apse, choir, and nave form the shaft of the cross, while the north and south transepts serve as the arms.
“Built on a somewhat larger scale than was originally contemplated, the Cathedral will take its place among the 10 largest ecclesiastical structures in the world."
Washington National Cathedral is the sixth largest Cathedral in the world and the second largest in the United States. The largest Church in the world is St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The largest Cathedral in the United States is Saint John the Divine in New York City.
“Two square towers, 232 feet high, flank the main entrance on the west facade, while a taller central tower rises 300 feet above the crossing. The total length of the building is 525 feet; total width, at the transepts, is 275 feet.
“The central tower, the Gloria in Excelsis, was begun in 1961. Within the massive structure is a 53-bell carillon and a peal of 10 bells for the ancient English ritual known as change ringing. Each bell is rung by a rope handled by a trained ringer. On the 10-bell peel 3,628,800 changes can be rung. If rung steadily eight hours a day it would require over 100 years to hear all the changes.
“The west facade, with its deeply recessed porch, will resemble the front of Canterbury Cathedral. The large rose window above the main west portal represents the Seven Days of Creation.
“Following the precedent established in Westminster Abbey, many of the Nation’s illustrious dead will be entombed in the Cathedral.”
According to the cathedral’s website, there are more than 220 people interred in the Cathedral, including President Woodrow Wilson and Helen Keller. The Space Window on the south aisle of the Cathedral contains a piece of lunar rock; and there is a sculpture of Darth Vader on the Cathedral.
And finally, the answer to our question of the day: $0 is the amount the cathedral receives from the federal government or national Episcopal Church. Formed in 1899, the National Cathedral Association (NCA) was a major contributor in building the Cathedral. This organization still accepts donations in support of the Cathedral.
