A Visit to the Holocaust Museum and the National Cathederal

Gentle Friends, the next day I visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum :

I arrived at 10 am just as the doors were opening.  You are whisked via elevator to the top floor to begin the tour... which starts out with the laying of the ground work for WWII in the Peace of WWI and the Versailles Treaty.  I spent almost 3 hours reading the information, and watching the short films and listing to all the information - without taking a single picture.  It was such a moving experience, so informative.  The Museum is located at the far end of the Mall near the Washington Monument.

I can't imagine anyone visiting and seeing all there was to see and learning all about the decades leading up to the war and then the "final solution" .... and not be moved.  It is an experience that everyone should have and see.... and on the outside of the building is this sign...

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From the Holocaust Museum, I took the Metro and then a Bus up Embassy Row (Massachusetts Avenue) to The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the Diocese of Washington DC (the Official Name) or as it is more commonly called The National Cathedral ....

... it was a lovely bright sunny day so the snaps of the cathedral inside and out turned out pretty nice.....

...along the Nave vaulting are state flags... arranged and hung as they entered the Union...

there are loads of stained glass windows to see along both sides of the church... here is The SPACE WINDOW commemorating the Apollo 11 mission to the moon it holds a piece of moon rock brought back by its crew.  The piece of moon rock was presented at the dedication service on July 21, 1974, which was also the Fifth anniversary of the Apollo 11 Mission.

... this is the East or "Christ in Majesty " Window... from the Cathedral's web site...

"Completed in 1943, “Christ in Majesty” is the central image seen above the high altar and visible from the far end of the nave. It is the culmination of the Cathedral’s narrative that begins with creation, traces God’s relationship with the Israelites and transitions to the Christian story.

The central lancet of the window features a figure of Christ that is more than twice life-size. His right hand is raised in blessing while his left hand holds the orb, a symbol of divine authority. Kneeling angels adore the triumphant Christ and symbols of Alpha and Omega signify that the beginning and end of all things is in God."

..looking east past the rood screen into the choir.....

There are a number burials in the cathedral, one of the most poignant was this one....  the tomb of Norman Prince  Here's a little information...... he sailed to France in January 1915 and persuaded the French into allowing the founding of the American Escadrille (Squadron) in April 1916.  As an aviator serving as a Sargent in the French Air Service, he was involved in 122 aerial combat engagements in which he was credited with 5 victories.  Prince was awarded the French Legion of Honor, Medaille Militare and the Croix de Guerre.  On October 12, 1916, he flew an escort for a bombing raid on the Mauser Rifle Works at Oberndorf, Germany.  Returning to base his landing wheels hit telegraph cables and his plane flipped over and crashed.  Prince was severely injured and died on October 15, 1916.

After his death, his parents donated almost $3 million to the cathedral for construction of what is now St John's Chapel, where they planned to build their son's tomb.  In May 1937, Prince's body was removed from the Episcopal cathedral in Paris and shipped to New York aboard the SS Normandie. He was placed in a temporary crypt while the one his parents commissioned was being constructed.  French sculptor Paul Landowski ( creator of the mammoth sculpture of Christ the redeemer in Rio de Janeiro) was hired to design the statue of their son.  Carved from marble, it depicts Prince standing on an eagle with relief panels depicting scenes from his life along the bottom sides.  The tomb was dedicated on December 6, 1937.

The wreath to the right in the picture was put there to mark the 100th-anniversary of Prince's death.

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At the east end of the Cathedral is the HIGH ALTAR. One-hundred-and-ten figures of men and women exemplifying the highest ideals of Christianity surround the central figure of Christ in Majesty, completing the iconographic story with the redemption of humankind through Jesus Christ. 

The ornate reredos in ST. MARY’S CHAPEL shows scenes from the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

In the Crypt the Cathedral’s foundation stone was placed on this site, under what later became the altar of BETHLEHEM CHAPEL. This chapel contains symbols and depictions of the genealogy and birth of Jesus. In 1912 this became the first part of the Cathedral to be completed, and a service has been held here nearly every day since. 

Directly beneath the crossing upstairs is the CHAPEL OF ST. JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA in the crypt. The somber mural tells the story of Jesus’ entombment following the crucifixion.

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I think that will wrap it up for today sports fans, thanks for stopping by do stop again.

Take care,

edgar