Washington National Cathedral is uniquely an American, twentieth-century cathedral. Consider these interesting facts.
- The Space Window on the south aisle of the Cathedral contains a piece of lunar rock.
- There is a sculpture of Darth Vader in the Cathedral.
- The Cathedral’s central tower is the only place in North America to house both peal and carillon bells.
- The Cathedral labyrinth is a medieval design based on the one in the floor of the nave at Chartres Cathedral in France.
- The Great Organ was expanded multiple times during construction to serve the growing Cathedral.
- The Cathedral is home to one of the few old growth forests still standing in the nation’s capital, Olmsted Woods, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr.
- The main exhibition case of the Rare Book Library occasionally displays the Cathedral’s first edition of the King James Bible, printed in London in 1611. This Bible belonged to Henry, Prince of Wales, the eldest son of King James.
- The official name of Washington National Cathedral is the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.