national cathedral

Washington, D.C. Architect: George Frederick Bodley Added to NRHP: May 3, 1974 NRHP Reference#: 74002170

Washington National Cathedral, whose official name is 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, it is the sixth largest neogothic cathedral in the world,[citation needed] the second largest in the United States,[1] and the fourth tallest structure in Washington, D.C.

The cathedral is the seat of both the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church and its bishop of the Diocese of Washington, composed of the District of Columbia and the Charles, Montgomery, Prince George's, and St. Mary's counties in Maryland.

The Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation, under the leadership of the nine 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. Construction lasted 83 years. The last finial was placed in the presence of President George H. W. Bush in 1990. The foundation operates and funds the cathedral, which does not receive government funding.

The cathedral is located at Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues in the northwest quadrant of Washington. 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.[2] Contents [hide] 1 Leadership 2 Establishment 3 Music 4 Worship 5 National Cathedral Association 6 Architecture 6.1 Architects 7 National House of Prayer 7.1 Major events 8 References in popular culture 9 Last resting place 10 Images of architectural details 11 Bibliography 12 External links //

Leadership The East End of the cathedral, with the Ter Sanctus reredos, featuring 110 carved figures surrounding the central figure of Jesus.[3] The west rose window was dedicated in 1977 in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II and President Jimmy Carter.

The cathedral is both the episcopal seat 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).

The current dean of the cathedral is the Very Reverend Samuel T. Lloyd III, who took office on April 23, 2005. Before becoming dean, Lloyd was the chaplain of the University of the South and later rector of Trinity Church in Boston, Massachusetts.

Former deans: Alfred Harding (1909–1916) George C. F. Bratenahl (1916–1936) Noble C. Powell (1937–1941) Zebarney T. Phillips