CATHEDRAL DUO
In 2021 and 2022 I paid visits to the two largest U.S. cathedrals – in New York City, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine (left), and in D.C., Washington National Cathedral (right). I’m proud to include my photos of these splendid edifices in the blog.
Let’s start with St. John’s, the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. Although construction was begun in 1892, for a variety of reasons it is still an unfinished building! – although nevertheless ranked as the world’s sixth largest church by area. Here are some views from around the outside of the cathedral.
Segments of the front façade on Amsterdam Avenue.
More of the same – the size emphasized by comparison
to the two step-sitters.
These individuals are located on the cathedral’s façade.
Some sights from the adjacent garden.
Side and rear views of the cathedral.
Now we’re inside, and my lens wasn’t wide enough to capture the tops of these structures.
Some decorative stained glass . . . .
. . . and the stained glass highlight.
Such lovely ornamentation
More of the same.
The Cathedral’s Columbarium (upper right) – a sacred space for burials and the committal of ashes, still in use today.
As I mentioned earlier, the cathedral is still unfinished – and here is some of the work going on daily.
This evocative sculpture by Meredith Bergmann commemorates the planes striking the twin towers on 9/11.
Now shifting to D.C.
Here’s the façade of the Washington National Cathedral, located at Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues in the northwest quadrant of the city. Construction began on this Episcopal Church in 1907 and was completed in 1990.
The cathedral was designed to play a role similar to Westminster Abbey –
a national shrine and a venue for great services,
“a house of prayer for all people.”
I put my telephoto lens to work for these close-ups of gargoyles adorning the façade.
Here’s what the cathedral looks like inside.
Some wonderful stained glass.
More interior views.
Elegant ornamentation . . .
. . . and more of it.
“Light a candle . . . .”
I’ll close with the cathedral’s exhibit featuring the text of a poignant letter Abe Lincoln sent to his Springfield friends in February 1861 upon leaving town to become the president of the United States.