Top 10 Unbelievable Facts about the Washington National Cathedral

Washington National Cathedral at twilight, view from the north By http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Noclip – Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Unbelievable Facts about the Washington National Cathedral

The Neo-Gothic design closely modeled on the English Gothic style of the late fourteenth-century structure stands tall in Washington. Commonly known as the Washington National Cathedral, it is a sight to see. it embodies a national shrine and a venue for great services. Having hosted state funerals and being ranked as the 6^th largest cathedral in the world, the national cathedral has made a name for itself. So how much is known about this iconic landmark? Here are the top 10 unbelievable facts about the Washington national cathedral

1. The Space Window contains a piece of lunar rock.

The Space Window in the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. By Pgmark at English Wikipedia – Wikimedia Commons

the black dot in the center of the big red circle in this stained-glass window? It’s a moon rock from the Apollo 11 mission, the 1969 mission that landed the first humans on the moon. This Space Window, as it’s called, is in the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. one of the most beloved and most photographed parts of the cathedral.

2. There is a sculpture of Darth Vader in the Cathedral.

Darth Vader grotesque on the northwest tower of the Washington National Cathedral By Cyraxote – Wikimedia Commons

In the 1980s, while the Cathedral’s two west towers were under construction, the Cathedral held a design-a-carving competition for children. The Darth Vader grotesque is a limestone grotesque by Jay Hall Carpenter. The third-place winner, Christopher Rader, submitted a drawing of Star Wars Darth Vader raved by Patrick J. Plunkett.

Moreover, It was placed high up on the northwest tower of the Cathedral. The other winner’s designs were a raccoon, a girl with pigtails and braces, and a man with large teeth and an umbrella. It is difficult to see with the naked eye, and binoculars are generally needed to spot it. It is located on the north side of the cathedral

3. It’s the only place in North America to house both peal and carillon bells.

Front of the Gothic National cathedral in Washington DC By S E Brendel – Wikimedia Commons

The carillon was manufactured by the John Taylor Bell foundry of Loughborough, England, and was dedicated on September 22, 1963. With the smallest bell of the carillon weighing 17 pounds and the largest weighing 24,000 pounds measuring eight feet, eight inches in diameter.

The carillon is played via a keyboard and pedals, situated high in the Cathedral’s central tower (150 feet above the nave floor) and directly amid the bells. In a chamber above the Cathedral’s carillon, high up in the Gloria in Excelsis tower, resides a 10-bell peal set for change ringing, a form of bell ringing begun in England in the 17th century.

Cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry of London in the 1960s and installed in 1963, each bell bears an inscription. The bells vary in diameter from 28 inches to 55 inches and weight from 608 pounds to 3,588 pounds.

4. It boasts a meditation Labyrinth

The labyrinth is a sacred pattern that leads you on a path to its center and backs out again. it is considered to be  a way of praying with the body that invites God into an active conversation with the heart and soul.

It labyrinth has a medieval design based on the one on the floor of the nave at Chartres Cathedral in France. Many worshipers gather and walk around the labyrinth in the cathedral yearly and is a popular favorite for the cathedrals visitors.

5. The Washington National Cathedral is not its official name

the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul is the actual and official name. it is also the mother church for the episcopal diocese of Washington.

The diocese includes 88 congregations across the District of Columbia and four Maryland counties. Officially the Cathedral is known as the “Cathedral Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington.”

6. Four state Funerals have been held in the Cathedral

The casket of President Gerald R. Ford lies in place at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington By SENIOR AIRMAN DANIEL R. DECOOK – Wikimedia Commons

Washington National Cathedral has been the location of funeral and memorial services for nearly all U.S. presidents since Congress approved the Cathedral’s charter in 1893.

The Cathedral has hosted four State Funerals namely Eisenhower in 1969, Reagan in 2004, Ford in 2007, and G.H.W. Bush in 2018. In addition, One official burial service for Woodrow Wilson, and seven presidential Memorial Services. Moreover, the Episcopal Bishop of Washington officiated at President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s funeral, which was held in the East Room of the White House.

7. National Cathedral took 83 years to be completed

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 “final finial” was placed in the presence of President George H. W. Bush in 1990.

8. The cathedral sits on approximately 57 acres

The Washington National Cathedral is about 83,000 square feet. We are the sixth-largest in the world, and second-largest in the United States. The first tract of land for the Cathedral site (30 acres) was purchased in 1898 for $245,000.

Two other parcels of land were purchased later, bringing the total cost to $291,427 and the total area to 57 acres. Washington National Cathedral is the sixth-largest cathedral in the world and the second-largest in the United States. 

9. It cost $65 million to build the Washington National Cathedral.

The structure was built over 83 years and funded by donations large and small from all across the United States. The Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation continues to operate the cathedral, and its construction, maintenance, and upkeep have been privately funded.

Furthermore, the total cost of building the Cathedral was 65 million dollars. it has a total staff of 75 people as well as over 1000 volunteers keeping it operational and running. In addition, It welcomes nearly 700,000 visitors and worshipers annually.

10. Washington national cathedral receives a large number of visitors and worshipers

It welcomes nearly 700,000 visitors and worshipers annually. National Cathedral offers sightseeing tours. You can use the self-guided tour brochures which are provided together with a limited number of audio tours that can be purchased upon arrival at the cathedral.

Admission fees usually range from $10 to $15 depending on age. The cathedral has no congregation of its own. Average attendance at a Sunday service is 1,000, 90 percent of whom are visitors. 

So these are 10 unbelievable facts about the Washington national cathedral