View allAll Photos Tagged Grotesque
From a rectangle of recycled paper
Just playing, trying faces, inspired by the awesome masks Alex Kurth presented.
I liked this one :)
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For most of my life, I had always thought of the fanciful creatures atop Cathedrale Notre-Dame in Paris and so many other cathedrals in Europe as being gargoyles. Everyone knows that the purpose of gargoyles is to spout rainwater from the roof away from the building. I simply thought that the other decorative creatures that perched atop some cathedrals, but did not function as water spouts, were also known as gargoyles. It was something that I had been told when I was young, and I simply never questioned that fact. However, these creatures are, in fact, not gargoyles, but properly referred to as "grotesques," or "chimerae." You learn something new every day.
Enjoy the image!
Sandstone carvings/Grotesques on the walls of the Great Court of the University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane.
"More than 1,200 stone carvings can be found on the walls and columns of the Great Court, comprising a variety of subjects and artistic styles.
In 1939, the original planners engaged the first University Sculptor, John Theodore Muller (1873–1953), to “alleviate the severe simplicity of the outer walls” of the Great Court.
Muller and his associates created several hundred carvings in a range of styles, depicting events from Queensland’s history; flora and fauna; Indigenous life; and coats of arms – as determined by the architects.
Scholarly figures from history were also crafted, including William Shakespeare, Charles Darwin, Confucius and Plato.
Following Muller’s death in 1953, work on the Great Court carvings languished for more than two decades.
Then in 1976, the University Senate ran a competition to select a new University Sculptor and Dr Rhyl Kingston Hinwood AM (1940–) won the prize. Over the next 35 years, she too completed several hundred diverse carvings, mostly of her own design.
Possibly the most popular of all the carvings, the projecting sculptures on the cloister walls were created to introduce an element of humour to the Great Court and include UQ academics, fictional literary characters and other mythical creatures (note: despite some having open mouths, the grotesques are not gargoyles, which are water spouts for carrying away rainwater)."
One of the most-visited Marsh churches, built on an artificial mound to protect it from the floodwaters. There is a Norman nave enlarged by the addition of aisles in the thirteenth century. Because of its virtually unrestored state it has many items of interest, the uneven floor creating a very rural atmosphere. The two hagioscopes to either side of the chancel arch are unusually large and little more than holes knocked into the wall. The rood loft staircase discovered in the 1920s still has its medieval door-frame - a rare survival indeed. In the north chapel is the mensa of the medieval altar. The delightful altar rails are early eighteenth century and present a run of very close-set balusters. The box pews and gallery are, of later eighteenth-century date and were repainted for the Rank film, Dr Syn. The large Royal Arms of George III are dated 1800 - the lion has a particularly smug expression! An interesting and unusual sight is the font, the capitals of which are carved with different figures. They date from the fourteenth century, and are much worn, but with patience one can still pick out details of the grotesque animals. The twentieth century film-producer Derek Jarman is buried in the churchyard and is commemorated by a headstone simply bearing his signature
... on the outside of St Peter's Church in Winchcombe. (Gargoyles have rainwater coming out through the mouth)
www.britainexpress.com/counties/glouces/churches/Winchcom...
Click on the image to see a larger view.
And this was just the 15 foot shorebreak...
Used a slow shutter speed to emphasize the spray and foam.
Cyanotype toned with furrowing salts, ammonia, tannin, on vellum, and assembled, descended really, full stop.
Ghoulish faces in the woods... The neo-gothic gargoyles on the riverwalk facade of the Tower Life building in San Antonio, TX.
I sculpted this and am going to use it to make an altron fleece mask - ive got it all straight in my head. We'll see if it works!
Mouth's like this are starting to pop up more in my art work. But this was kinda inspired by Francis Bacon (I looked up him and his artwork today) in it's grotesqueness, you know? Not quite like his abstractions though.
One more in the comments which you guys may like better, but i had to mess with the perspective of the mouth too much and still doesn't fit as well.
Well-written but wouldn’t recommend, 467 pages of misery.
Favorite passage "A woman who does not know herself has no choice other than to live with other people's evaluations. But no one can adapt perfectly to public opinion. And herein lies the source of their destruction."
"The camera lies all the time." - Richard Avedon
It helps to see oneself differently before attempting the same of others.
For Utata's Weekend Project: "Bordeaux" (January 1 – 16, 2022)
I found this while tree hunting for my facebook 52 week challenge. It was gauding a very large tree in Hastings.
.... The Ontario Legislative Building has a multitude of stone carvings, including gargoyles, grotesques, and friezes, often surrounded by scrolling acanthus leaves. The 1890's fanciful 'faces in places' can be found as you walk around the outside of the massive edifice ....
Despite seeing photos of this one in the cathedral, I can't find any extra information...
Gloucester Cathedral is one of the best places in the country to see three types of gargoyles and grotesques - anthropomorphic (humans), zoomorphic (animals) and demonic.
And the stone masons continue to create new ones.
The Minster was started in 1190. In 1308 the nave was rebuilt. The West end was built in the perpendicular style in 1420 which completed the building. The Minster was reduced to the status of parish church after 1548 when it ceased to be Roman Catholic. At this stage it was due to be pulled down, but a group of wealthy businessmen bought it for £100. The Chapter House was demolished, leaving only the access stairs.
By 1716 the minster was in a poor state of repair but its collapse was prevented by restorations begun in the C18th.
Whilst the instrument carvings are believed to be the largest collection in the world there are plenty of other carvings along the aisles of the nave. These include grotesques and mythical creatures. All are medieval, some with restoration.
Cut-paper collage created for Kollage Kit theme: "pulp >>> crime."
I must confess: I was not in the mood for pulp tonight, so this collage--with the possible exception of the two men fighting in lower right--is not pulp. I'll get back to pulp later this weekend, I promise.
Upper left by Otto Dix. Upper right by George Scholz. Middle right by George Grosz.
This Sunday was an exciting day at the flea market! Funnily enough, I predicted that we would find treasures. It was Colleen's last day of sort of summer vacation (meaning she would go back to working both jobs instead of just one). On top of that, we had plans to hang out with our friend, Lisa, in the afternoon. It's always on those busy days that you find cool stuff, but don't have the chance to enjoy it. I just knew we would finally have a fruitful weekend at the flea market on the day we had other plans in the afternoon. Despite the gloomy weather, there were exciting things to be found. The pieces of American Girl clothes were all super cheap--$1 to $2 each. The seller had seen us at another booth nearby looking at doll clothes. When we passed his table, he beckoned us over asking if we collected American Girl clothes. It seriously pays off sometimes to be very open about collecting dolls, because I never would have noticed the AG clothes on his table if he hadn't motioned us over. The coolest thing about these pieces is the fact that we completed two of our outfits. We FINALLY got the diaper and a pair of shoes to go with Billie Jean's "meet" outfit. Colleen also noticed that a pair of the shoes were the ones that went with Bitty Baby's Pretty Pink Outfits (both getups were ironically purchased at the flea market back in 2014). There were a few other AG odds and ends we snagged too, like Samantha's gaiters.
In the lower portion of the flea market, down the hill into a somewhat muddy area, we walked by a booth with vintage toys. I studied the table as we passed, but didn't see anything worthwhile. However, on the ground on the right side of the booth I spotted an open vintage case (looked like a hatbox almost) and a cardboard box beside it. At first it just looked like a bunch of figurines from the 60s. But as we started to continue onward, Skooter caught the corner of my eye. Immediately I pounced. It turns out there was another Skipper there too. She was a Twist 'N Turn Waist doll with a mutilated leg. Colleen picked her up too for purchase. The Ideal Toys dolls caught my attention as well. I knew they weren't Tammy, but I couldn't figure out if they were from her family/friend line or were different dolls altogether. When Colleen inquired about the price, the man said he'd unload it all for $20. Normally, with the amount of stuff and condition of it, we wouldn't have paid that much. But with 60s doll items, sometimes a singular dolly will be marked that much (I think Colleen paid $25 for her first Skooter doll at an antique store in a handmade outfit). It turns out that we got Misty, Tammy's friend, and Pepper, her little sister. Additionally, there was this awesome Supergirl included! Ironically, I almost left Todd behind because he was so grotesque. I had been wanting a Todd or Tutti doll since 2011, when we got back into collecting. 60s Barbies were some of the first thing that really excited us in those days. Todd was so foul and covered in goop, I mistook him for a freaky figurine. But something told me not to leave him behind. The moment I held him at home, I lost it when I realized who he was. Plus, he was wearing his original outfit!!! Who doesn't love a doll who needs all that TLC?!! The little doll house furniture will work well for our mini houses we've had since we were kids. It's from the Ideal Toys Petite Princess Furniture line. Many of the pieces were broken beyond repair, but these were the things we could work with. Plus, we found two 60s Barbie clothing items--Ken and Ricky's jackets (I seriously would have died if Ricky had been included...he's in the top ten cutest boy dolls ever list).
The two Babysitters Inc Skipper dolls were from the elderly couple we always buy from. I also snagged an Ever After High body donor from them. The poor girl had a missing eye that was sharpied over. But she was still wearing her outfit AND had both hands. It was cheaper buying the donor doll than getting a pair of hands from Mattel's Replacement Part website (this is why it makes more sense to use dolls who are too far gone as body/part donors rather than trying to fix them all).
As for the Cabbage Patch boy, he is without a doubt my favorite find. I was feeling the Cabbie Fever on Sunday...so was Colleen. At the flea market there are always sellers who put boxes and containers of random junk (literally) on the ground and on tables. They do not take any of it out, you are meant to dig through the bins. Usually I do a quick once over of these booths since they have boring things (like homeware). But as we finished an aisle, I saw a yarn head in a clear container. Immediately my doll senses tingled...I knew it was something cool. From a distance the hair color reminded me of my 1985 Twins. I tried to not get overly amped, knowing it was probably a very similar doll to one I already had. However, as I neared I noticed his legs looked abnormally long and like a slightly different texture. When I turned this guy over I saw the freckles and the cheaper looking head/hair. Immediately I thought to myself, "This is one of the foreign CPKs. Jesmar perhaps?" Sure enough he sported the Jesmar tag (his outfit is also original--tagged Jesmar too). The poor fella was foul, covered in stains and smelling like a dumpster. His condition alone warranted a rescue. The seller was super nice and only wanted $6 for him. I suppose he could have been cheaper, but since sellers at our flea market want $25 for a CPK doll usually, it was a deal. We named him Picasso, and he was a wonderful addition to our CPK family.
Dolls in photo from left to right:
-1984 Cabbage Patch Kids (Jesmar)
-1977 Charlie's Angels Sabrina
-1965 Tutti's Tiny Twin Todd
-1966 Pocketbook Doll Jan
-1967 Super Queen Supergirl
-1965 Tammy's Best Friend Misty
-1965 Tammy's Sister Pepper
-1964 Skipper's Friend Skooter
-1968 Twist 'N Turn Waist Skipper
-2018 Babysitters Inc. "Stroller" Skipper
-2019 Babysitters Inc. "Bedtime" Skipper
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_National_Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral, is an American cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States.[1][2] The structure is of Neo-Gothic design closely modeled on English Gothic style of the late fourteenth century. It is the second-largest church building in the United States,[3] and the fourth-tallest structure in Washington, D.C. The cathedral is the seat of both the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Michael Bruce Curry, and the bishop of the Diocese of Washington, Mariann Edgar Budde. Over 270,000 people visit the structure annually.[4]
The Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation, under the first seven Bishops of Washington, erected the cathedral under a charter passed by the United States Congress on January 6, 1893.[5] 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, and ended 83 years later when the "final finial" was placed in the presence of President George H. W. Bush in 1990. Decorative work, such as carvings and statuary, is ongoing as of 2011.[needs update] The Foundation is the legal entity of which all institutions on the Cathedral Close are a part; its corporate staff provides services for the institutions to help enable their missions, conducts work of the Foundation itself that is not done by the other entities, and serves as staff for the board of trustees.
The cathedral stands at Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues in the northwest quadrant of Washington. It is an associate member of the recently organized inter-denominational Washington Theological Consortium.[6] 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.[7]
Contents
1 History
1.1 Construction
1.2 National role
2 Major events
2.1 Major services
2.2 2011 earthquake
2.3 Lee-Jackson stained glass windows
3 Financial concerns
4 Architecture
4.1 Architects
4.2 Images of architectural details
5 Leadership and funding
5.1 List of deans
6 Worship
7 Music
8 Burials
9 Schools
10 Media
11 See also
12 References
13 Bibliography
14 External links
History
Construction
In 1792, Pierre L'Enfant's "Plan of the Federal City" specified a site for a "great church for national purposes". However he defined it as non-sectarian and nondenominational. Hamilton modified that 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. 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."[8] The commanding site on Mount Saint Alban was chosen. Henry Yates Satterlee, first Episcopal bishop of the Diocese of Washington, chose George Frederick Bodley, Britain's leading Anglican church architect, as the head 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.
National role
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.[9]
Its initial charter was similar to those granted to American University, The Catholic University of America, and other not-for-profit entities founded in the District of Columbia around 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."[10] 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.
Major events
Major services
The 2004 state funeral of the 40th President, Ronald Reagan
State funerals for four American presidents have been held at the cathedral:[11][12][13]
34th President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1969): lay in repose at the cathedral before lying in state
40th President Ronald Reagan (2004)
38th President Gerald Ford (2007)
41st President George H. W. Bush (2018)
Memorial services were also held at the cathedral for the following presidents:[11]
(29th) Warren G. Harding
(27th) William Howard Taft
(30th) Calvin Coolidge
(33rd) Harry S. Truman
(37th) Richard Nixon
Presidential prayer services were held the day after the inaugurations for:[14]
32nd President Franklin D. Roosevelt's second inauguration in January 1937
40th President Ronald Reagan's second inauguration in 1985
41st President George H. W. Bush's inauguration in 1989
43rd President George W. Bush's first and second inaugurations in 2001 and 2005
44th President Barack Obama's first and second inaugurations in 2009 and 2013
45th President Donald Trump's inauguration in 2017[15]
46th President Joe Biden's inauguration in 2021
Prayer and vigil for the March for Our Lives rally, March 23, 2018
Other events have included:
Funeral for former first lady Edith Wilson (1961)[11]
Memorial service for former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt (1962)[11]
Memorial service for the casualties of the Vietnam War on November 14, 1982
Public funeral for Chief of Naval Operations, United States Navy, Admiral Jeremy Michael Boorda (1996)
Funeral for Secretary of Commerce Ronald Brown (1996)
Funeral for U.S. Ambassador to France Pamela Harriman (1997)
Funeral for The Washington Post newspaper publisher Katharine Graham (2001)
Memorial service for the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks
Special evensong for the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting
Funeral for educator and national civil rights leader Dorothy Height (2010)
Memorial service for NASA astronaut and first person on the Moon Neil Armstrong (2012)
Funeral for Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and Medal of Honor recipient (2012)
Funeral for Charles Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship (2012)[16]
Memorial service for former South African President and anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela (2014)
Interfaith service of Prayer and Remembrance: The Fifteenth Anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Sunday September 11, 2016
March for Our Lives Prayer Vigil: A vigil for "activists, students and pilgrims" participating in the March for Our Lives anti-gun violence rally in Washington, D.C. and other cities, Friday March 23, 2018[17]
Funeral for U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona (September 1, 2018)
Service of Thanksgiving and Remembrance for Matthew Shepard (October 26, 2018).[18]
Funeral for U. S. Army General (Ret.), Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former Secretary of State Colin Powell (November 5, 2021).
Funeral for U.S. Senator Bob Dole of Kansas (December 10, 2021)
It was from Washington National Cathedral's "Canterbury Pulpit" that the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his final Sunday sermon on March 31, 1968, just a few days before his assassination in April 1968.[19] A memorial service for King was held at the cathedral later the same week.
2011 earthquake
Washington National Cathedral undergoing repairs in 2017
The cathedral was damaged in August 2011 during the Virginia earthquake. Finial stones on several pinnacles broke off, and several pinnacles twisted out of alignment or collapsed entirely. Some gargoyles and other carvings were damaged, and a hole was punched through the metal-clad roof by falling masonry. Cracks also appeared in the flying buttresses surrounding the apse. Inside, initial inspections revealed less damage, with some mortar joints loose or falling out.[20] The cathedral, which had no earthquake insurance, struggled to cope with the cost of the damage.[21]
Washington National Cathedral closed from August 24 to November 7, 2011,[20] as $2 million was spent to stabilize the structure and remove damaged or loose stone.[21] Safety netting was erected throughout the nave to protect visitors from any debris that might fall from above.[22] The cathedral reopened for the consecration and installation of Mariann Budde as the ninth Bishop of Washington on November 12, 2011.[23] At that time, estimates of the cost of the damage were about $25 million.[23]
Identifying the full extent of the damage and construction planning and studies over the next two years consumed another $2.5 million.[21] In 2011, the cathedral received a $700,000 preservation work matching grant from the Save America's Treasures program, a public-private partnership operated by the nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation. The program, which is federally funded, required the cathedral to match the grant dollar-for-dollar with private funds and use the money solely for preservation work.[24]
The Reverend Canon Gary R. Hall was chosen to be the 10th dean of Washington National Cathedral in July 2012.[25]
Although fundraising to repair the damage began soon after the earthquake, it took the cathedral three years to raise the $15 million to complete the first phase of repairs.[21] In August 2013, the cost of the repairs was re-estimated at $26 million. About $10 million had already been raised by this date to pay for the repairs, half of that coming from the Lilly Endowment.[26] The cathedral began charging a $10 admission fee for tourists in January 2014, and started renting out its worship and other spaces to outside groups to raise cash.[27] The cathedral also transformed the Herb Cottage (its old baptistry building adjacent to the cathedral) into a for-profit coffeehouse operated by the Open City café chain.[28]
Phase I of the restoration, which cost $10 million,[21] repaired the internal ceiling's stone and mortar and was completed in February 2015. The planned 10-year, $22 million Phase II will repair or replace the damaged stones atop the cathedral.[29]
In June 2015, Washington National Cathedral leaders said the church needed $200 million, which would both complete repairs and establish a foundation to give the cathedral financial stability. The cathedral began working on a capital fundraising campaign, which The New York Times said was one of the largest ever by an American religious institution, to begin in 2018 or 2019. Hall said that the cathedral also planned to reopen its continuing education college and its Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage (a space on the cathedral's crypt level dedicated to prayer, meditation, and devotional practice). After three years of deficit spending, however, the cathedral also announced additional cuts to music programs to balance its budget.[21]
Lee-Jackson stained glass windows
See also: Modern display of the Confederate flag and Removal of Confederate monuments and memorials
In June 2016, after an examination by a five-person task force it was announced that two Confederate battle flag images would be removed from stained glass windows commemorating the lives of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. The windows were installed in 1953 after lobbying by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. In its report, the task force wrote that it "is unanimous in its decision that the windows provide a catalyst for honest discussions about race and the legacy of slavery and for addressing the uncomfortable and too often avoided issues of race in America. Moreover, the windows serve as a profound witness to the cathedral's own complex history in relationship to race."[30]
On September 6, 2017, the cathedral, in a statement signed by the Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith, dean of the cathedral, and John Donoghue, chair of the cathedral chapter, announced its decision to deconsecrate and remove the stained glass windows honoring Lee and Jackson.[31]
Financial concerns
In January 2003, the Reverend Nathan D. Baxter, dean of the cathedral, announced his retirement effective from June 30, 2003. Baxter had led the cathedral since 1991.[32] After an 18-month search, Samuel T. Lloyd III was named dean and began his tenure on April 23, 2005.[33] Using a $15 million bequest the cathedral received in 2000, Lloyd rapidly expanded the cathedral's programming.[34][21] Meanwhile, the cathedral deferred maintenance and declined to make needed repairs.[21] Construction also began in summer 2005 on a $34 million, four-level, 430-car underground parking garage. It opened in 2007.[35][21] The structure was pushed by John Bryson Chane, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, and was mostly funded by debt. Payments on the garage were $500,000 per year, with a major increase in the annual debt service beginning in 2017.[36] In early 2008, the National Cathedral Association, the church's fundraising donor network, was disbanded after cathedral leaders concluded that the building was "finished" and it was no longer necessary to raise significant funds for construction.[21][37]
The 2008–2009 Great Recession hit the cathedral hard. By June 2010, the cathedral cut its budget from $27 million to $13 million, outsourced the operation of its gift shop, shut its greenhouse, cancelled its plans to replace the Skinner organ in the sanctuary, and ceased operation of the College of Preachers that had provided Episcopal clergy nationwide with continuing theological education. The cathedral also laid off 100 of its 170 staff members, including its art conservator and its liturgist (who researched and advocated the use of liturgies at the cathedral).[38] It also significantly cut back on programming, music performances, and classes.[39] To help stabilize its finances, the cathedral began an $11 million fundraising campaign and used $2.5 million of its $50 million endowment to plug budget holes.[38] The National Cathedral Association was recreated as well.[36]
In June 2010, the cathedral announced that it was exploring the sale of its rare book collection, the value of which was estimated to be several million dollars.[38] It sold a number of books to a private collector in 2011 for $857,000[21] and in 2013 donated most of the remaining collection to Virginia Theological Seminary.[21][40]
As the economic downturn continued, a report by cathedral staff identified $30 million in needed maintenance and repairs.[21] Among the problems were cracked and missing mortar in the oldest sections of the building; broken HVAC, mechanical, and plumbing systems throughout the structure; extensive preservation needs; and a main organ in disrepair. Repointing the building was estimated to cost at least $5 million, while organ repair was set at $15 million.[36]
Architecture
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Looking east, looking up to the choir of the cathedral
Nave vaulting facing east
The cathedral's final design shows a mix of influences from the various Gothic architectural styles of the Middle Ages, identifiable in its pointed arches, flying buttresses, a variety of ceiling vaulting, stained-glass windows and carved decorations in stone, and by its three similar towers, two on the west front and one surmounting the crossing.
The structure consists of a long, narrow rectangular mass formed by a nine-bay nave with wide side aisles and a five-bay chancel, intersected by a six bay transept. Above the crossing, rising 301 ft (92 m) above the ground, is the Gloria in Excelsis Tower; its top, at 676 ft (206 m) above sea level, is the highest point in Washington.[3] The Pilgrim Observation Gallery—which occupies a space about 3/4ths of the way up in the west-end towers—provides sweeping views of the city. Unique in North America, the central tower has two full sets of bells—a 53-bell carillon and a 10-bell peal for change ringing; the change bells are rung by members of the Washington Ringing Society.[3] The cathedral sits on a landscaped 57-acre (23 ha) plot on Mount Saint Alban.[3] The one-story porch projecting from the south transept has a large portal with a carved tympanum. This portal is approached by the Pilgrim Steps, a long flight of steps 40 feet (12 m) wide.
Most of the building is constructed using a buff-colored Indiana limestone over a traditional masonry core. Structural, load-bearing steel is limited to the roof's trusses (traditionally built of timber); concrete is used significantly in the support structures for bells of the central tower, and the floors in the west towers.
The pulpit was carved out of stones from Canterbury Cathedral; Glastonbury Abbey provided stone for the bishop's formal seat, the cathedra. The high altar, the Jerusalem Altar, is made from stones quarried at Solomon's Quarry near Jerusalem, reputedly where the stones for Solomon's Temple were quarried. In the floor directly in front of that altar are set ten stones from the Chapel of Moses on Mount Sinai, representing the Ten Commandments as a foundation for the Jerusalem Altar.
There are many other works of art including over two hundred stained glass windows,[3] the most familiar of which may be the Space Window, honoring mankind's landing on the Moon, which includes a fragment of lunar rock at its center;[3] the rock was presented at the dedication service on July 21, 1974, the fifth anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission.[41] Extensive wrought iron adorns the building, much of it the work of Samuel Yellin. A substantial gate of forged iron and carbon steel by Albert Paley was installed on the north side of the crypt level in 2008. Intricate woodcarving, wall-sized murals and mosaics, and monumental cast bronze gates can also be found. Most of the interior decorative elements have Christian symbolism, in reference to the church's Episcopal roots, but the cathedral is filled with memorials to persons or events of national significance: statues of Washington and Lincoln, state seals embedded in the marble floor of the narthex, state flags that hang along the nave, stained glass commemorating events like the Lewis and Clark expedition and the raising of the American flag at Iwo Jima.
The cathedral was built with several intentional "flaws" in keeping with an apocryphal medieval custom that sought to illustrate that only God can be perfect.[dubious – discuss] Artistically speaking, these flaws (which often come in the form of intentional asymmetries) draw the observer's focus to the sacred geometry as well as compensate for visual distortions, a practice that has been used since the Pyramids and the Parthenon.[citation needed] The architects designed the crypt chapels in Norman, Romanesque, and Transitional styles predating the Gothic, as though the cathedral had been built as a successor to earlier churches, a common occurrence in European cathedrals.[citation needed]
Numerous grotesques and gargoyles adorn the exterior, most of them designed by the carvers; one of the more famous of these is a caricature of then-master carver Roger Morigi on the north exterior of the nave. There were also two competitions held for the public to provide designs to supplement those of the carvers. The second of these produced the famous Darth Vader grotesque which is high on the northwest tower, sculpted by Jay Hall Carpenter and carved by Patrick J. Plunkett.[42]
The west facade follows an iconographic program of Creation rather than that of the Last Judgement as was traditional in medieval churches. All of the sculptural work was designed by Frederick Hart and features tympanum carvings of the creation of the Sun and Moon over the outer doors and the creation of man over the center. Hart also sculpted the three statues of Adam and Saints Peter and Paul. The west doors are cast bronze rather than wrought iron. The west rose window, often used as a trademark of the cathedral, was designed by Rowan LeCompte and is an abstract depiction of the creation of light. LeCompte, who also designed the clerestory windows and the mosaics in the Resurrection Chapel, chose a nonrepresentational design because he feared that a figural window could fail to be seen adequately from the great distance to the nave.
The cathedral contains a basement, which was intentionally flooded during the Cuban Missile Crisis to provide emergency drinking water in the event of a nuclear war.[43]
Architects
The cathedral's master plan was designed by George Frederick Bodley (founder of Watts & Co.), a highly regarded British Gothic Revival architect of the late-19th and early-20th centuries, and was influenced by Canterbury. Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. contributed a landscaping plan for the cathedral close and Nellie B. Allen designed a knot garden for the Bishop's Garden. After Bodley died in 1907, his partner Henry Vaughan revised the original design, but work stopped during World War I and Vaughan died in 1917. When work resumed, the chapter hired Boston architecture firm Frohman, Robb and Little to execute the building. Philip Hubert Frohman, who had designed his first fully functional home at the age of 14 and received his architectural degree at the age of 16, and his partners worked to perfect Bodley's vision, adding the carillon section of the central tower, enlarging the west façade, and making numerous smaller changes. Ralph Adams Cram was hired to supervise Frohman, because of his experience with the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, but Cram insisted on so many major changes to the original design that Frohman convinced the Cathedral Chapter to fire him. By Frohman's death in 1972, the final plans had been completed and the building was finished accordingly.