Gargoyles of the National Cathedral

 During summer, the Washington National Cathedral offers tours of the gargoyles and grotesques that adorn the outside of the huge, impressive, and beautiful limestone church.  What a perfect opportunity for a field trip!  The Confirmation class, along with 3 adult advisors, met early on Sunday morning and set out on a road trip to D.C. with "Gargoyles or Bust!" as the motto of the day.

The 11:15 worship service we attended was absolutely beautiful.  Most impressive was the size of the sanctuary, the sonorous music of the organ and guest choir from Texas, and the sacred space steeped with history and tradition.   We arrived at the Cathedral in time for the 11:15 worship service and joined the hundreds of folks already gathered for the service.  We marveled how at home and comfortable we felt during worship, pleased to discover how closely aligned our order of worship is to theirs.  At the same time, we marveled at how "fancy" and special the service was simply because of the context of the Cathedral.

The closest we could find to Mr. Jefferson (a nod to our Charlottesville roots!)

After the service, we sprawled out on the lush lawns outside the church for our picnic lunch.  The day was becoming more beautiful by the hour, and we lazed in the sunlight and gazed at the clouds until it was time for the gargoyle tour.

In the pre-tour powerpoint presentation, we learned a lot about the function and the construction of the gargoyles, and the difference between a grotesque and a gargoyle. We saw the damage done by the August, 2011 earthquake, and listened to the difficulties of repairing the gargoyles.  We saw up-close photos of the gargoyles and learned their stories.  Once outside, we scanned the lofty heights of the Cathedral in search of the now-tiny creatures, delighted when we were able to spot them.

The group's favorite was, predictably, this guy:

photo credit

When our necks were too sore to search for gargoyles anymore, we explored one of the gorgeous gardens on grounds.

 Our state seal, in the hallway just outside the Cathedral sanctuary:

 In late afternoon, we began our trek back home, stopping for dinner and then again for some much-anticipated ice cream:

What a great looking bunch!  

...and what a happy, memorable experience this day proved to be for all of us.