From the pipes of the Great Organ to the famed rose windows to the angels of the west towers, every part of the Cathedral has its own story to tell.
Did You Know?
- The Space Window on the south aisle of the Cathedral contains a piece of lunar rock.
- There is a sculpture of Darth Vader on top of the Cathedral’s west tower.
- 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 Cathedral by the Numbers
- Weight of the entire Cathedral: 150,000 tons
- Heaviest single stone: 5.5 tons
- Height of Cathedral’s center tower: 30 stories tall
- Total cost of building the Cathedral: $65 million
- Total years of construction: 83
- Number of stained glass windows: 231
- Number of gargoyles: 112
- Number of angels: 288