Washington National Cathedral

In 1903, George C. F. Bratenahl (1862-1939) became rector of St. Alban’s Parish, Washington, and was created a canon of the Cathedral. In 1916, he was elected the Cathedral’s first active dean. As chairman of the Building Committee, Bratenahl oversaw construction of the foundations, crypt chapels, great crossing, great choir, St. Mary’s Chapel, and St. John’s Chapel. He played a decisive role in the Cathedral’s iconography, particularly the reredos. The altar with its screen expressed the central truth of his faith. His aim, through long years of study and planning, was “to make the Cathedral the interpreter of the one supreme sacrifice and of the hosts and of the redeemed.” Dean Bratenahl suffered a stroke in 1936, but declined to resign or accept emeritus status. The Chapter reluctantly declared the post vacant on technical grounds, paving the way for the appointment of a new dean.