The Washington National Cathedral

Stood at the top of Wisconsin Avenue on the highest point, overlooking the capitol, stands the sixth largest cathedral in the world, the second largest in the United States, the Washington National Cathedral.

I realised I hadn't taken a picture of the outside so I borrowed one. The other images are mine.

Taken from http://www.visitingdc.com/more-washington-dc/national-cathedral-picture.htm

The neo-gothic style took over 100 years to build and was only finished about 10 years ago.From the outside the cathedral is breathtaking, it's the detail which kept me so interested. The gargoils are all different and they have been playful with some of them:

Above the crossing, rising 91 m (301 ft) above the ground, is the Gloria in Excelsis Tower. Its top, at 206 m (676 ft) above sea level, is the highest point in Washington; the Pilgrim Observation Gallery provides sweeping views of the city. In total, the cathedral is 115 m (375 ft) above sea level.

 

 

 

 

 

For me the main attraction was the stain glass windows. Over 200 windows are made from the most beautiful glass murals and due to the time of day, the light streamed through giving a unique light show, causing an extremely humbling experience. The Space window (beneath) is the most famous one, celebrating the landing of man on the moon.

The  Pilgrim Observation Gallery was well worth the visit. It gave a view of the whole of Washington. In this picture you can see the Washington monument and the Capitol on the mall strip.