Cathedral Noir

Ascending : Washington National Cathedral

One of my favorite Washington landmarks is Washington National Cathedral. This is my ninth post featuring this magnificent church. On my way home from dinner with my family on Sunday, I zipped up Massachusetts Avenue to Wisconsin Avenue to grab a few pictures in the dark.

Darken the Doorway : Washington National Cathedral

I didn't take too many pictures, though, because it was 32 F/0 C with winds out of the west at 29 mph and a windchill of -7 F. In other words, it was COLD. I'm sure it's undignified or something, but I wish the Cathedral would string lights on their trees and grounds during the holidays. I think that would be lovely.

Colonnade at Night : Washington National Cathedral

To see other pictures of the cathedral, go here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. And now, I need to get out and get busy seeing other stuff. Anyone visiting this blog will get the wrong impression that all we have in Washington, D.C., is the Lincoln Memorial and Washington National Cathedral!

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 12/08

Vastness

Soaring arches, beautiful stained glass
Washington National Cathedral

One of the things I love most about Washington National Cathedral is the vastness of the space. I also enjoy the light coming through the stained glass. If I could, all of my southwestern facing windows in my house would be stained glass. This picture shows the grand arches of the cathedral, along with the beautiful Rose Window at the western end of the church above the entrance. The cathedral has three Rose Windows depicting: Creation (see above), Church Triumphant, and Last Judgment.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 1/08

Two Things Challenge: Empty / Full

Empty archways leading to the north portico

Washington National Cathedral

Empty (adjective): containing nothing; not filled or occupied.

This niche, with the bright winter sun as backdrop, seemed to represent empty. Although, I suppose you could turn it on its head and say that it's "full of light." This was taken at the bottom of the stairs leading out of the Garth and into a portico with doors going into the cathedral proper.

Full archways from the north portico
Washington National Cathedral

Full (adjective): containing as much or as many as possible; having no empty space.

This is the same niche, but shot from the top of the stairs in the portico looking back down into the Garth. I like how the arches cascades into more arches ending in the garden. This picture seems very full to me. By the same token, you could also turn it on its head and say it's empty because what's a garden without people in it?

(Not bad for someone who's still laid up with whatever gunk this is I have, so I'm using pictures I took a couple of weekends ago. These are also from Washington National Cathedral. If you haven't noticed, I'm working my way from the outside to the inside, so this won't be the last of my pictures from this beautiful structure.)

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 1/08

Garth

Quiet corner in a Garth, Washington National Cathedral

Wednesday's picture featured the colannade on the northeast corner of Washington National Cathedral. As an anonymous commenter pointed out, the garden beyond the colonnade is called a Garth. This, then, is the Garth on the northeast corner of the cathedral. The entire Garth is actually much larger than this. I just liked the tree and tower in this particular corner of this lovely garden. I can only imagine how lovely it will be in the spring.

And I thought Garths were just country singers and math teachers. (I had a math teacher in high school named Garth Dennis Gooch. In addition to teaching math, he was also a farmer. That's like gardening, right?)

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 1/08

Breezeway

Gothic breezeway, Washington National Cathedral

Architectural structures offer so many photo opportunities. This is the breezeway on the northeastern side of Washington National Cathedral that connects the cathedral proper with church offices on the back. To the left is a quiet little garden space I'll post a picture of later.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 1/08

Two Things Challenge: Foot / Loose

The feet that hold up a Gothic cathedral: Piers

Foot (noun): the lower or lowest part of something standing or perceived as standing vertically; the base or bottom.

The architectural feature that makes the soaring arches and open spaces of Gothic cathedrals possible are the buttresses and piers. In the case of the latter, these are the feet of the cathedral and are the load-bearing columns. This picture shows several piers within National Cathedral.

Loose roots around an old tree in Georgetown

Loose (adjective): not strict or exact.

I chose exposed tree roots as my interpretation for loose. I happened upon these a couple of weeks ago when I was out shooting pictures in Georgetown, D.C.'s oldest and toniest neighborhood. I'm always intrigued when nature behaves in a manner contrary to what we were taught in primary school. According to my kindergarten teacher, roots grow below the ground and under the tree. Obviously, this tree had other ideas and chose not to stick as strictly to the rules of botany.

There you have it. My two things for this week...

Okay, truth be told: I've been laid up in bed with the flu for the last several days, so I haven't been out shooting off my camera. I had a couple of ideas for this week's challenge, but instead I've had to cull from my archives and use what I've got. This is what I've got. Or, as my sister would say, "Just making up sh*t as you go along, huh?" Yeah. Pretty much.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 1/08

For All People

Washington National Cathedral: Celebrating 100 Years

The official name of Washington National Cathedral is The Cathedral of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. The second-largest cathedral in the United States and the sixth largest in the world, it is the seat of the Diocese of Washington, D.C., of the Episcopal Church in America. Regardless of its affiliation with the Episcopal faith, National Cathedral is known as the National Church for All People and is largely non-denominational.

In 1792, Pierre L'Enfant included a "great church for national purposes" in his "Plan of the Federal City." In 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt laid the cornerstone of the cathedral. Eighty-three years later, in 1990, the cathedral was declared finished. The great organ was installed by Skinner & Co. and today features 10,650 pipes and 186 ranks, making it the 17th largest organ in the United States (32nd in the world.)

Gothic cathedrals feature grotesques and gargoyles, the former for deflecting rain water and the latter for carrying it away. One of the most famous and unusual grotesques is Darth Vadar. Located on the back of the North Tower (in the picture above, the tower on the left), he appears as a result of a contest the Cathedral and National Geographic held in the 1980s. Young people were asked to submit their ideas and Christopher Rader of Kearney, Nebraska, won the contest. You need binoculars or a telephoto lens to see the grotesques.

In 2004 and again in 2006, National Cathedral was the setting for the funerals of Presidents Reagan and Ford. The former was an elaborate affair while the latter was a bit humbler, but both were reflective of the lives of their honorees. President Woodrow Wilson is buried here. This was also the setting for the 2001 National Day of Prayer following the attacks on September 11.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 1/08