The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church located in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The structure is of Neo-Gothic design closely modeled on English Gothic style of the late fourteenth century. It is both the second-largest church building in the United States, and the fourth-tallest structure in Washington, D.C.

In 2011 the Cathedral was damaged by a 5.8 magnitude earthquake. “Atop the two towers on the Cathedral’s western façade, slender pinnacles rattled and rolled and hand-carved angels wiggled out of place. A 350-pound finial fell 20 stories off the northwest tower and embedded itself into the ground outside the main visitor’s entrance. It was stolen the night of the quake.” Six years later, they continue to make repairs, as funding becomes available. I was still living in the D.C. area when that unusual earthquake happened. It was quite a scare. Ironically, even though I’ve been living in earthquake territory (California) for the past six years, that D.C. earthquake is still the strongest I’ve experienced in my life. I hope that doesn’t change…