Washington National Cathedral

==History==
[[File:Washington National Cathedral Looking SE.jpg|thumb|Washington National Cathedral Looking SE showing substantial use of [[Flying buttress|flying buttresses]].|upright=1.2]]

===Construction===
In 1792, [[Pierre L'Enfant]]'s "[[L'Enfant Plan|Plan of the Federal City]]" specified a site for a "great church for national purposes". However he defined it as non-sectarian and nondenominational. [[Alexander Hamilton]] modified L'Enfant's plan and eliminated the "church" and several other proposed monuments and that plan was never reproduced. The working plan for the new city was subsequently produced by Andrew Ellicott and it varied in many respects from L'Enfant's. although the essence remained. The [[National Portrait Gallery (United States)|National Portrait Gallery]] now occupies that site. 

In 1891, a meeting was held to begin plans for an Episcopal cathedral in Washington. On January 6, 1893, the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation of the District of Columbia was granted a charter from Congress to establish the cathedral. The [[52nd United States Congress]] declared in the act to incorporate the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation of the District of Columbia that the "said corporation is hereby empowered to establish and maintain within the District of Columbia a cathedral and institutions of learning for the promotion of religion and education and charity."<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Statutes At Large of the United States of America, From December, 1891, To March, 1893, And Recent Treaties, Conventions, and Executive Proclamations |author=United States Secretary of State |publisher=[[United States Congress]] |year=1893 |page=414 |chapter=An Act to incorporate the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation of the District of Columbia |access-date=November 16, 2014 |chapter-url=http://legisworks.org/sal/27/stats/STATUTE-27-Pg414.pdf|author-link=United States Secretary of State }}</ref> The commanding site on Mount Saint Alban was chosen. [[Henry Yates Satterlee]], first Episcopal bishop of the Diocese of Washington, chose [[George Frederick Bodley]], [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Britain's]] leading [[Church of England|Anglican]] church architect, as the head architect. [[Henry Vaughan (architect)|Henry Vaughan]] was selected supervising architect.

Construction started on September 29, 1907, with a ceremonial address by President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] and the laying of the cornerstone. In 1912, Bethlehem Chapel opened for services in the unfinished cathedral, which have continued daily ever since. When construction of the cathedral resumed after a brief hiatus for [[World War I]], both Bodley and Vaughan had died. Gen. [[John J. Pershing]] led fundraising efforts for the church after World War I. American architect [[Philip Hubert Frohman]] took over the design of the cathedral and was thenceforth designated the principal architect. Funding for Washington National Cathedral has come entirely from private sources. Maintenance and upkeep continue to rely entirely upon private support.
<gallery caption="Construction of the Washington National Cathedral" widths="120" heights="90" perrow="4">
National Cathedral under construction, Washington, D.C. LCCN2016890226.jpg
National Cathedral under construction, Washington, D.C. LCCN2016890227.jpg
National Cathedral under construction, Washington, D.C. LCCN2016890228.jpg
View of National Cathedral under construction, Washington, D.C. LCCN2016890225.jpg
</gallery>

===National role===
[[File:WashNatCathedralx1.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of the Washington National Cathedral|upright=1.2]]

From its earliest days, the cathedral has been promoted as more than simply an Episcopal cathedral. Planners hoped it would play a role similar to [[Westminster Abbey]]. They wanted it to be a national shrine and a venue for great services. For much of the cathedral's history, this was captured in the phrase "a house of prayer for all people." In more recent times the phrases "national house of prayer" and "spiritual home for the nation" have been used. The cathedral has achieved this status simply by offering itself and being accepted by religious and political leaders as playing this role.<ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Morales |first=Teresa F. |title=The Last Stone is Just the Beginning: A Rhetorical Biography of Washington National Cathedral |date=2013 |publisher=Georgia State University |url=https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/communication_diss/42/ |language=en}}</ref>

Its initial charter was similar to those granted to [[American University]], [[Catholic University of America|The Catholic University of America]], and other not-for-profit entities founded in the District of Columbia {{circa|1900}}. Contrary to popular misconception, the government has not designated it as a national house of prayer.

During World War II, monthly services were held there "on behalf of a united people in a time of emergency."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://politi.co/2DGogo0|title=Foundation stone for Washington National Cathedral is laid, Sept. 29, 1907|last=Andrew Glass|website=POLITICO|date=September 29, 2018 |language=en|access-date=February 9, 2020}}</ref> Before and since, the structure has hosted other major events, both religious and secular, that have drawn the attention of the American people, as well as tourists from around the world.