The official name for the Washington National Cathedral is the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul although it goes by many aliases including The Protestant Episcopal Cathedral, The Washington Cathedral, and The National Cathedral.

Owned by the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, it was President Benjamin Harrison who, in 1893, signed the charter, granted by congress, allowing the establishment of a cathedral and institutions of higher learning in the District of Columbia.

The idea for a national Cathedral goes way back. When President George Washington commissioned Major Pierre l’Enfant to design an overall plan for Washington D.C. the Major also included in his plan a church, “intended for national purposes, such as public prayer, thanksgiving, funeral orations, etc., and assigned to the special use of no particular Sect or denomination, but equally open to all.”

In 1896, the first Episcopal Bishop of Washington, secured land on Mount Saint Alban, the highest spot in the entire Washington area. President Theodore Roosevelt laid the cornerstone in 1907, and in 1912 the Bethlehem Chapel, deep in the undercroft, opened for services which have continued daily ever since.

Sundays are the most popular and event filled days for worship. Holy Eucharist is also celebrated Monday through Saturday in the Bethlehem Chapel at 7:30 am and again at noon. Evensong or Evening Prayer is scheduled weekdays at 5:30 pm, and Compline at 7:45 pm most weekdays from May 12 to September 1.

Our National Cathedral exists as a house of prayer for all people.