An Act of Congress, a Rector, and America’s ‘Great Church’

The Washington National Cathedral on Good Friday, April 10, 2020. Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images

“The late determination of Congress to lay the Fundation of a City which is to become the Capital of this vast Empire, offer so great an occasion of acquiring reputation, to whoever may be appointed to conduct the execution of the business, that your Excellency will not be surprised that my Embition and the desire I have of becoming a usefull Citizen should lead me to wish a share in the Undertaking,” wrote Pierre L’Enfant to George Washington on Sept. 11, 1789.

When the Residence Act of 1790 was passed, directing the capital city to be moved from Philadelphia to “a district of territory, not exceeding ten miles square … on the river Potomac,” L’Enfant got his chance to “share in the Undertaking.” Thomas Jefferson, who was serving as Washington’s Secretary of State, noted that the residence should house “the federal Capitol, the offices, the President’s house & gardens, the town house, Market house, publick walks, [and] hospital.”

L’Enfant had a grand vision for the capital city, which included something not mentioned by Jefferson—”a great church for national purposes.” Unfortunately for L’Enfant, the Residence Act of 1790 required three commissioners to oversee the design and construction of the new federal city. The conflict with the commissioners would be L’Enfant’s undoing, and he resigned in 1792. Much of the L’Enfant Plan would not be realized until more than a century later when the Senate assembled architects and city planners to form the McMillan Commission.

A drawing made from a woodcut of Pierre Charles L’Enfant. Public Domain

Construction for the “President’s house” began on Oct. 13, 1792, and, though not completely finished, received its first residents—John and Abigail Adams—in 1800. Construction for the “federal Capitol” began on Sept. 18, 1793, and was completed in 1826. The “Market house”—Center Market—opened in 1801. The “hospital”—the District of Columbia General Hospital—was established in 1806. L’Enfant’s “great church,” however, would have to wait until the 20th century.

A Congressional Act

On Jan. 6, 1893, Congress passed the “act to incorporate the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation [(PECF)] of the District of Columbia” which empowered the corporation “to establish and maintain within the District of Columbia a cathedral and institutions of learning for the promotion of religion and education and charity.”

The issues with building the cathedral and institutions in the nation’s capital were similar to those the federal government faced when trying to build the capital city itself. The legislation identified the location and permitted the construction, but who would lead the project? Would the PECF be required to purchase the land or would someone donate it? And who would design the cathedral and institutions? Additionally, the foundation, though chartered by Congress, would not receive taxpayer money, so where would the money come from? To resolve many of these issues, the Episcopal Church looked to Henry Satterlee.

The Right Bishop

Rev. Henry Yates Satterlee, first Episcopal bishop for the Washington diocese. Public Domain

Satterlee had been a rector for nearly 30 years. He began his ministerial career in 1865 at Zion Church in Wappingers Falls, just north of New York City. In 1882, he became rector for Manhattan’s Calvary Church, the same church where he had been rebaptized nearly 20 years prior. The minister had proven himself to be effective in growing both parishes, engaging the local communities in volunteering, publishing material, and raising money. His tireless efforts did not go unnoticed by the local dioceses.

In 1887 and 1889, he was offered the position of Bishop of Ohio and the Bishop of Michigan, respectively. He declined both offers. Satterlee, though, was not awaiting a better offer. He wasn’t concerned about position or career. He was simply interested in ministry and his communities. As Theodore Roosevelt once said of him, “I soon discovered that he was one of the clergymen who was a genuine force for civic righteousness and that his deeds were as good as his words.”

When the Washington diocese was created and held its first Episcopal Church Convention on Dec. 4, 1895, it needed a bishop: Satterlee wasn’t even on the list of candidates. After several ballots and no two-thirds majority winner, Satterlee’s name was thrown into the mix. After 11 ballots, Satterlee was chosen as bishop of Washington.

When he was notified that he had been elected, he sat down and listed the reasons why he should and should not accept the position. After weighing the pros and cons, he accepted.

A Specific Style

Satterlee immediately sought donations for the cathedral. Meanwhile, the Cathedral Committee, which answered to a separate Cathedral Chapter, began its search for an architect. They chose Ernest Flagg, ​​the Beaux-Arts style architect. Flagg had studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, but had only been working in the field for five years. The Committee accepted his design; Satterlee, however, never did. He believed there was only one architectural design fit for the new church.

“American Churchmen are so weary of designs which glorify the originality of the architect, that they are longing more and more for a pure Gothic Church which is built simply for the Glory of God,” he said.

The design of the church was important, but what was more important was raising funds to build the cathedral. He spent the next 12 years, while still performing his traditional duties, promoting the cathedral and raising money for its construction. Money slowly came in. In 1903, Satterlee purchased 57 acres on Mount Saint Alban located just north of Georgetown.

As the years passed, Satterlee maintained his subtle resistance to Beaux-Arts, Renaissance, or Classical style architecture in favor of Gothic. Now that a location had been chosen, enough money had been raised to begin construction, and Flagg’s design was no longer an option, the planners needed to find the right architect. Satterlee was well ahead of them.

The Student and Teacher

Henry Vaughan was born in Cheshire, England, and had studied under England’s most important and influential architect for the Church of England: George Frederick Bodley. Bodley’s body of work was vast, and included St. Michael and All Angels in Brighton, All Saints in Cambridge, St. John the Baptist in Tuebrook, Church of the Holy Angels in Hoar Cross, St. Augustine’s in Pendlebury, Chapel of St. Mary the Virgin in Clumber Park, and Holy Trinity in South Kensington. Vaughan had immigrated to America in 1881 to design a new chapel for the Society of St. Margaret in Boston. He went on to complete other projects, including three chapels for America’s largest cathedral: St. John the Divine in New York City. Vaughan is credited with popularizing the Gothic Revival style in America.

Henry Vaughan, circa 1907. Public Domain

Satterlee wanted the student on the design team, but most importantly, he wanted the teacher. During the summer of 1906, Satterlee had visited London and met with Bodley. In fact, it was Randall Davidson, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who encouraged Satterlee to meet with “the greatest architect in England.”

Bodley, despite nearing 80 years old, heartily agreed to design the American cathedral. Now, it came down to the Committee agreeing to a Gothic-style architect from England taking the lead. Satterlee returned to Washington in August, and after several meetings with the Committee, it presented the idea of Bodley and Vaughan to the Cathedral Chapter on Oct. 10, 1906. After a one-hour discussion, Bodley and Vaughan were chosen. By Nov. 21, Bodley was on a ship for America. On Dec. 1, after a thorough presentation by Bodley and Vaughan to the Chapter, it was agreed the architectural style would be Gothic.

In June 1907, the architectural design plans were presented. Satterlee confessed that the plans surpassed his expectations. Apparently they surpassed the expectations of everyone. “We had expected to consider the plans all summer, but after considering them carefully, the Chapter adopted them three days after they had first seen them,” Satterlee recalled.

The First and Last Stones

The cathedral under construction. Public Domain

The design was for a Latin cross-shaped cathedral with a baptistery in the shape of an octagon to the south and a polygonal choir. The central tower would be 220 feet high. The tower became the highest point in Washington. Stones were sourced from various sacred spaces, including Glastonbury Abbey, Canterbury Cathedral, and Jerusalem.

It was during this week in history, on Sept. 29, 1907, that construction began on the cathedral with the laying of the cornerstone by President Theodore Roosevelt during a grand ceremony. The cornerstone was no regular stone. Part of it had been sourced from Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ. On the stone was the inscription: “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.”

Satterlee reflected on the previous 12 years, writing in his diary, “This sequence of events is remarkable, so much so that it must have been providential, and I can only marvel at God’s leading.”

There was another providential aspect. Bodley had lived just long enough to see the cathedral’s design created and implemented, and therefore leave his mark on the American continent. He died Oct. 21, 1907. Furthermore, Satterlee, in another nod to providence, lived long enough to raise the funds, find the architects, and witness the beginning of construction before he died a few months after Bodley, on Feb. 22, 1908.

Vaughan became the lead architect, overseeing the construction of Bethlehem Chapel, St. Mary’s Chapel, the bishop’s residence, the choir, and the sanctuary. He died on June 30, 1917.

Interior of the Washington National Cathedral. Public Domain

From the moment the cornerstone was laid, it would take 83 years and approximately $65 million (all from donations) to complete what would become the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul—the sixth largest cathedral in the world and the second largest in America. It was also during this week in history, on Sept. 29, 1990, that the final stone, a ceremony overseen by President George H.W. Bush, was laid.

The vision set forth 200 years prior by a French architect (and Revolutionary War hero), assumed by an American bishop, and designed by a British architect, was finally finished. And it maintains that initial mission to be ”a great church for national purposes.”

Although the technical name of the church is the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, it is most commonly referred to as the Washington National Cathedral

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