In 1791, when Congress selected the site to be the capital of the United States, President George Washington commissioned Major Pierre l’Enfant to design an overall plan for the city. It included a plan for a church. The National Cathedral.
In 1907 the first cornerstone was laid and it was completed in 1990, after 83 years of construction. Today it’s the biggest church in America. We went there on our trip to Virginia. What a CHURCH!
On the side of the Cathedral are hundreds of Gargoyles. The Word gargoyle is derived from the old French 'gargouille' meaning throat. Gargoyles came into gothic architecture in the early 13th century to keep corrosive rain water off the cathedrals in France and Western Europe. During that time, the Catholic Church was attempting to bring lots of pagan folks into the church. Since pagan themes and deities had a powerful history with the people, the Church deemed it necessary to use the often coarse imagery to help make the transition into a new religion more palatable. Also, many people were illiterate, so images were a great way to convey Church doctrines. One of surprising things we saw on the Cathedral was a familiar face.
What a Church! Pastor Ken
In 1907 the first cornerstone was laid and it was completed in 1990, after 83 years of construction. Today it’s the biggest church in America. We went there on our trip to Virginia. What a CHURCH!
On the side of the Cathedral are hundreds of Gargoyles. The Word gargoyle is derived from the old French 'gargouille' meaning throat. Gargoyles came into gothic architecture in the early 13th century to keep corrosive rain water off the cathedrals in France and Western Europe. During that time, the Catholic Church was attempting to bring lots of pagan folks into the church. Since pagan themes and deities had a powerful history with the people, the Church deemed it necessary to use the often coarse imagery to help make the transition into a new religion more palatable. Also, many people were illiterate, so images were a great way to convey Church doctrines. One of surprising things we saw on the Cathedral was a familiar face.
What a Church! Pastor Ken
