Living
in Washington D.C., much of what happens is already recorded in history.
However, there are parts of the City that still hold their mysteries close. One
of those places is the Washington National Cathedral (Cathedral Church of Saint
Peter and Saint Paul.)
Dedicated
in 1907 by President Theodore Roosevelt, this Gothic Cathedral has been
continually worked on by various stone carvers and masons, ever since.
Officially finished in 1990, the Cathedral is still being labored on, since there
are grotesques and gargoyles still be carved. Also, after the 2011 Washington
Earthquake, they have endeavored to repair the damaged done to the Cathedral.
Throughout
the many years, the stone carvers developed a deep sense of intimacy and
connection to the Cathedral itself. As Master Carver Vincent Palumbo noted,
“The sculptor creates it (the work), but we give it life. When we carve it in
stone, that is the resurrection.” Many of the carvings around the building reflect
this closeness. One gargoyle depicts Master Carver Roger Morigi as the devil
with his stone working tools, while another one is of a mushroom cloud coming
out of his head. Both are in reference to his bad temper. (People who do not
know this, often think that the mushroom cloud is a commentary of the modern
age.)
Other
signs of the intimacy between the Cathedral and the stone carvers are the
numerous carvings of their exploits. One grotesque shows Palumbo in a truck
with a flagpole. This memorialized the time when he hit the Cathedral’s flag
pole with his pick-up truck. At the north side of the nave, there is a flying
buttress that remains uncarved. This is to commemorate in stone the death of
Stone Carver Joseph Petti, who died there, when a scaffolding gave way.
The
stone carvers share the story of a fellow carver who worked there in the 1950s.
He commuted daily from Baltimore, Maryland to Washington D.C., and therefore
few people had met his family. When his wife died, he wanted her to be buried
in the Cathedral. (Other people who had been interred there were President
Woodrow Wilson and Helen Keller.) He asked the Dean of the Cathedral Francis
Sayre if his wife could be also. After being told no by the Bishop, Dean Sayre
offered his apologies to the stone carver. Dean Sayre said that the man told
him that it was already taken care of. According to the Dean, the masons had
mixed the ashes of the wife of the stone carver into the mortar. She holds several
stones together atop the south transept. Rumor has it that after the
earthquake, she and the stones are still intact.
Although
Dean Sayre verified authenticity of the story, several elements make it a
legend. The names of the stone carver and his wife are unknown. When the Dean
was asked about the story, it was forty years after the fact. Furthermore Dean Sayre
only stated what he surmised. Palumbo, who was interviewed about his long
tenure at the Cathedral, told many stories, to the reporter, about specific
people. The ashes of the stone carver’s wife was not one of them. Also, the legend
of mixing of the ashes of the dead into the stone mortar is a story often told
about other cathedrals as well. Whether it is true or not, it remains a
testament to the closeness and love of the stone carvers for their Cathedral.
Works Used.
Meyer,
Graham, “Mysteries of the Washington National Cathedral.” The Washingtonian. September 2007. Web. http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/arts-events/mysteries-of-the-washington-national-cathedral/.
Ringle,
Ken, “Carving Out a Niche at the Cathedral.” The Washington Post. 18, November, 1999. Web. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1999-11/18/101r-111899-idx.html.
Washington
National Cathedral Official Web Site. Web. http://www.nationalcathedral.org/.
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