National+Cathedral

NATIONAL CATHEDRAL by Jose Antonio Chavarria

The National Cathedral is obviously a cathedral. It is a protestant church was many people go to pray. This cathedral has a lot of important people buried inside it, many presidents and people who made remarkable things throughout their lives. Not anyone is allowed to be buried inside here. The person should have been very important to the nation. I believe this is kind of unfair because in religion, everyone is equal. When George Washington was on power, he said they needed somewhere to make national events. L’Enfant had the idea to make a cathedral. It passed a century in order to start building it. It was built with the support of many community leaders. President Benjamin Harrison signed a charter to the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation of the District of Columbia allowing them to make an institution and a church, the construction of the cathedral officially begun in September 20, 1907. Many wealthy people gave money and materials to built it. Each of everyone of this people has a name on a bench, thanking them to make it possible to build this humongous cathedral. I think this cathedral is very important because it is the second largest one in the country. It also reflects hard work and dedication. Containing many historical events, this church gives an example of what is good and what is wrong. In one painting, the face of a student of the foundation nearby the cathedral is painted. This student died in a war. The student was buried inside the church because of his braveness and courage. Helen Keller and many other important people were buried inside here. 

When I first entered the museum, I had a weird sensation in my stomach. The holocaust has been always something that catches my mind all the time. It is just a shame to know that everyone has a dark side. And this Germans seemed heartless. I was surprised to find out more about how they actually lived in the concentration camps. I really liked the museum. I think it is very well organized and has information about everything. It was a wonderful experience to find out more about this interesting topic.  National Cathedral Washington National Cathedral. Web. 18 Mar. 2011. __ @http://www.nationalcathedral.org/ __. "History." Washington National Cathedral. Web. 18 Mar. 2011.__ @http://www.nationalcathedral.org/about/history.shtml __.

**Washington National Cathedral **  Washington National Cathedral is a church for national purposes. In 1791, President George Washington asked Major Pierre L’Enfant to plan it. It was until 1893 that the charter was granted to the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation of the District of Columbia to establish the church. It was signed by President Benjamin Harrison. It was decided it would be built on Mount Saint Alban. It opened its doors on 1912. Funerals and tombs of many presidents are held and dedicated here. The main building material used to build the Cathedral is Indiana limestone. It was chosen because of its superior quality for both construction and carving. The Cathedral is a solid masonry structure. The limestone blocks are laid one on top of the other, with mortar between them. It has flying buttresses made also of solid stone. A steel beam structure was used to hold up the roof. It took 83 years to build the church; from September 29, 1907, to September 29, 1990. Through the years, many architects worked in it; in 1907 – George Frederick Bodley, 1907–1917 – Henry Vaughan, 1921–1944 – Frohman, Robb & Little, and 1944–1972 – Philip H. Frohman. The church is very important since here is where all the official ceremonies are done. Presidents come here to prey and to honor important citizens, like when in 1918 President Woodrow Wilson attended the official Thanksgiving service for the end of the First World War, or the community memorial services were held at the Cathedral for World War II soldiers in 1941. In 1956, President Woodrow Wilson’s tomb in the Cathedral is dedicated, and in 1968, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., preached his last Sunday sermon from the Canterbury Pulpit. In 1969, World leaders gathered here for President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s State Funeral. By1976, the Cathedral’s nave and west rose window were completed and dedicated in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II and President Gerald Ford. I think this is a very beautiful church. It is huge and very elegant. The place where it is built is ideal since it is in a hill and it makes it look even more majestic  []