The Washington National Cathedral, officially named the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church located in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. Of designed it is a sixth largest cathedral in the world and the second largest in the United the States.In total, the cathedral is 115 meters above sea level.
Under the leadership of the nine bishops of Washington, erected the cathedral under a charter passed by the United States Congress on January 6, 1893. Construction began on September 29, 1907, when the foundation stone was laid in the presence of President Theodore Roosevelt and a crowded of more than 20,000, and ended 83 years later when the last finial was placed in the presence of President George H. W. Bush in 1990. The cathedral is located at Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues in the northwest quadrant of Washington. 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.
Inside the most of the decorative elements have Christian symbolism, in reference to the church's Episcopalian roots, but the cathedral is filled with memorials to persons or events of national significance.
