Washington National Cathedral

Washington National Cathedral took 83 years to build. Its foundation stone was laid in 1907 and its final finial set in 1990, giving the capital a full-scale Gothic cathedral of Indiana limestone built with traditional masonry methods. It is the second-largest church building in the United States, and the top of its central tower, 676 feet above sea level, is the highest point in Washington, D.C.

Although it is the seat of the Episcopal Church's presiding bishop, the cathedral serves as a spiritual home for the whole nation, hosting state funerals for five presidents, from Eisenhower to Carter, and services after national tragedies. Woodrow Wilson is buried there. Among its gargoyles and grotesques is a carved Darth Vader, the result of a children's design contest. The 2011 Virginia earthquake damaged its pinnacles and buttresses, and repairs have continued for more than a decade.

• Washington, D.C.
  The federal capital district of the United States located in
• Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
  The largest Catholic church building in North America related