InSPIREd Sunday ~ Washington National Cathedral

This cathedral, officially the Cathedral Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, had its beginning in 1893. The foundation stone was laid in 1907 in the presence of President Theodore Roosevelt, and the Cathedral was completed in 1990 – 83 years later – when the “final finial” was placed in the presence of President George H.W. Bush.

Built of Indiana limestone, the Cathedral is the sixth largest in the world. Its design is unique and not copied from any earlier building. The building is shaped like a cross, with a long nave – a tenth of a mile- and two shorter transepts.

The Cathedral’s architectural style is Gothic, characterized by great height and the use of pointed arches, boss stones, ribbed vaulting, large windows, and flying buttresses.

When visiting these wonderful historical sites there’s always something you miss or at least I miss. I tend to learn more about the site when I finally get ready to post about it on my blog. Although I did notice these Gargoyles, I totally missed the fact that Darth Vader was one of the Gargoyles on the Cathedral! Here’s an explanation.

In the 1980s, while the west towers were under construction, Washington National Cathedral held a decorative sculpture competition for children. Word of the competition was spread nationwide through National Geographic World Magazine. The third-place winner was Christopher Rader, with his drawing of that fearful villain, Darth Vader. The fierce head was sculpted by Jay Hall Carpenter, carved by Patrick J. Plunkett, and placed high upon the northwest tower of the Cathedral.

You would need binoculars to see it so I don’t feel too bad about totally missing it!

I guess I’ll have to visit this marvelous cathedral again. I have posts on the interior of the cathedral and the Bishop’s Garden here, here, and here.

Thank you to Beth and Sally for hosting InSPIREd Sunday.

InSPIREd Sunday ~Port Townsend

Trinity United Methodist Church in Port Townsend, Washington. You can read about it’s history here.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Port Townsend, Washington. The history and heritage of the church can be read here. Click on InSPIREd Sunday to see more posts from around the world. Thank you Beth and Sally!

These photos were taken in June of 2011. Dear and I took a ferry/road trip over to the Kitsap Peninsula, across the Hood Canal Bridge and onto the historic city of Port Townsend. We enjoyed a day of exploring including going to some garage sales. Posts on our time in Port Townsend can be found here, architecture of the town here, and some yard art here.

On this Sunday we had a very inspiring church service that featured Michael Franzese, a former crime family boss who quit the mob and lived to tell his story. Looking forward to reading his book called Blood Covenant. Seattle is all abuzz with the Seahawks win against the Panthers on Saturday. One more game to determine if they are in the Super Bowl again. I’m suffering from the after effects of a crown and not the kind you put on top of your head. Hope all is well in your corner of the world.

The Balm We Needed…

After our one bad hotel experience the Oakley Court in Windsor was the balm we needed to end our time in England on a very good note!

Oakley Court is situated along a stretch of the Thames known as Water Oakley. It was first shown on maps around 1800 and the name appears to originate from Cornish Breton in which it appears as “Warhta Eog Lee” – The Upper Salmon Place.

This lovely hotel was situated a few miles outside of the main downtown area of Windsor and Windsor Castle right on the River Thames.

I enjoyed Tea and “Tea” in the hotel bar…

Sitting along the River Thames was very peaceful and a wonderful relaxing and quiet way to end our time in England.

We enjoyed all the interesting architectural features of this grand hotel. A link to some interesting history is here.

In the 60’s and into the 70’s while the manor stood empty 200 films were made in and around the property including Dracula.

The only traffic we experienced at this hotel was boat traffic and it was a welcomed kind of traffic that left us smiling.

We spent two nights here and enjoyed excursions to Windsor Castle and a boat ride along the River Thames. This is a hotel we would recommend.

Hereford Cathedral

You can read about the history of this cathedral by clicking here.

Next time we’ll walk through this door and see all the amazing wonders within.

I’ll be linking to InSPIREd Sunday with this post. Thank you Beth and Sally.

Wells Cathedral ~ Somerset

The sun was setting with a lovely glow on the Cathedral as we left Evensong and stepped outside.

Wells lies sheltered beneath the southern slopes of the Mendip Hills, and combines a wealth of historic interest and beautiful architecture. Wells qualifies as England’s smallest, and Somerset’s only city.

Probably the finest national example of early English architecture, Wells Cathedral was largely built between the 12th and 14th centuries. The Cathedral is famed for its magnificent West Front, featuring over 300 statues and carvings; the inverted scissor arches of the nave, and one of the oldest working mechanical clocks.

We left the cathedral on this road to find our inn for the night. We didn’t leave Wells until later on Tuesday September 17th after we visited the Bishop’s Palace and the Vicar’s Close. I still have many posts from our time in England.

Oh boy, here in the Seattle area we are still in a foggy pattern. We were waiting for the sun to break through and dry up the lawn but that was not to happen yet so I had to mow the foggy dewy lawn today to match up with the yard waste removal tomorrow. It actually felt good to get some exercise after sitting all weekend. I’ve got a dental appointment and a fun trip to Canada planned this week with our daughter Katie. What’s on your to do list this week?

Inside Wells Cathedral

We were hoping we’d make it to Wells Cathedral in time for their Choral Evensong at 5:15 on Monday September 16th. We were so happy that we did and enjoyed a very meaningful hour…

Evensong: (Boy Choristers and Vicars Choral)

Preces and Responses: Smith

Psalms: 82, 83, 84, 85

Canticles: Byrd Fauxbourdon Service

Anthem: Byrd Justorum animae

Wells had lots to offer photo wise so there will be a few posts from this Cathedral City. Next week I’ll continue with photos of the outside views of the cathedral, the Bishop’s Palace, Vicar’s Close, and the Inn where we stayed.

“Wells is the smallest city in England with about 12,000 inhabitants. It can call itself a city because of the famous 13th century Cathedral. It remains remarkably unspoilt and has many other historic buildings including the moated Bishop’s Palace, Vicars’ Close, St Cuthbert’s Church and a good local museum. The Wells Market Place, with lively markets twice a week, the narrow streets and an eclectic mix of building styles all reflect on the continuing development of the town throughout the ages.”

We are enjoying a very leisurely Friday and plan the same for Saturday here in the Pacific Northwest. Hope all is well in your domain…

Chipping Campden ~ Cotswolds

“Chipping Campden is one of the loveliest small towns in the Cotswolds and a gilded masterpiece of limestone and craftmanship. The main street curves in a shallow arc lined with a succession of ancient houses each grafted to the next but each with its own distinctive embellishments.”

“As the name suggests (“Chipping” means market or market place from the old English “Ceping”). Chipping Campden was one of the most important of the medieval wool towns and famous throughout Europe. This legacy of fame and prosperity is everything that give the town its character.

Campden was already established in the 7th century and derives its name from the Saxon “Campa-denu” or “Campadene”, meaning a valley with fields or enclosures of cultivated land.”

Took this shot for my chicken/egg farmer friends!

“For many visitors, Chipping Campden is the quintessential Cotswold town. It has a variety of building styles that have survived from all ages. Chipping Campden was one of the Cotswold’s main wool markets.”

World War I and World War II Memorials.

The ancient Market Hall was built in 1627 by Sir Baptist Hicks for a cost of £90.00. It was for the purpose of giving shelter to the local market selling cheese, butter and poultry – not wool as is sometimes thought.

Each corner of the building has a pediment, and each gable had a window which is now blocked up. The side arches have stone ballustrades and the floor is paved with stone.

We really enjoyed this small market town. There was a used bookstore in town where I found an Elizabeth Goudge book.

We also spent some time at St. James Church grounds and I’ll share those photos next along with some of it’s history.

I had a fun adventure with one of the “girls” last night and hope to share about that soon. It was a beautiful day on Wednesday here in the Seattle area. Hope all is well where you live…

HT: Chipping Campden Tourist Information.

Both Old But Very Different…

The finale to my Monumentale Cemetery photos are all from a indoor portion called the Hall of Fame. I’m also sharing a link to a post Lovella shared on her blog yesterday about her visit to my old house.

You can see Lovella’s behind the scenes shots of my old house by clicking here.

Yes…the ceiling was that blue!

This was one of the very few images we saw of the risen Christ.

Another week is flying by at this old house. A free calendar has been a blessing. It has been interesting making plans for a 90th birthday party for my folks from 1200 miles away. Our 70 or so guests will just have to be flexible along with the party planner! Since most of those 70 are related to the guests of honor the pressure is minimal. How’s your week going?

More Monumentale…

The entrance to Monumentale Cemetery in Milan is as grand as the rest of the grounds. This cemetery is filled with both contemporary and classical sculptures. We were struck with how massive many of the sculptures are.

This monument reminded me so much of a story from the Old Testament. Anyone out there want to guess which one?

This cemetery would need several hours to fully take in. I will soon share the last part of the cemetery we visited including the Hall of Fame.

Hope your week is going well. So far so good here. I was happy that the constant rain from the weekend has seemed to cease. The exciting news this week is that our new cookbook, Celebrations, is in the hands of some at Menno Press. The 10 of us are excitedly and anxiously waiting for our copy to arrive!

Blessings…

Duomo Milan

Milan Cathedral is the cathedral church of Milan, Italy. Dedicated to Santa Maria Nascente, it is the seat of the Archbishop of Milan, currently Cardinal Angelo Scola. The Gothic cathedral took nearly six centuries to complete. I’ll be sharing several posts on the Duomo. My first photos will be of the front of the Duomo. My future posts on the Duomo will be from the interior, the roof and the rear.

The cathedral of Milan holds over six centuries of history and the entire building is made of pink-hued, white marble that comes from the quarries of Candoglia. Its construction began in 1386 on the area where the basilicas Santa Tecla and Santa Maria Maggiore stood and later became “encompassed” in the new cathedral. Architects, sculptors, artists and thousands of specialized workers became involved in the Fabbrica del Duomo (the construction of the cathedral) which, it can easily be said, has never stopped operating. Even today, in fact, work still continues on this extraordinary piece that is the symbol and heart of the city.

This was one of the highlights of Milan but it also has it’s downside. Tourists are bombarded by pickpockets here that work in tag teams trying to distract you while they try to steal your valuables or just con you out of your money. We enjoyed the views of the Duomo away from the crowds.

I am finally feeling well enough to get things done around here and to go out and about again. It was so good to be back in church this morning and to reconnect with friends. After our morning Palm Sunday service Josh and Laura picked us up for a belated birthday meal in Seattle. We had a great time together catching up and planning some future events together. Hope you had a good day!

The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b.

To honor and encourage

Tag Archives: Architecture