every piece has its purpose intermediate pinnacles gothic architecture Washington National Cathedral may be one of the last great churches to use the labor-intensive building techniques of the Gothic style of architecture. Gothic architecture originated in twelfth-century Europe two intermediate and incorporated dramatic innovations pinnacles on the west in building structure, techinique, and towers twisted materials. Light and space became and shifted essential elements of the interior design. The key element of Gothic architecture is the pointed arch, which Children’s Chapel. Such elements permitted the building of higher walls enabled Gothic cathedrals to be and wider aisles. constructed to greater heights than ever before, with thinner walls and tall Not only was the Cathedral built in the stained glass windows. Gothic style, but it was also engineered and constructed in techniques flying buttresses keeping with the style. Using only The flying buttress is strongly solid masonry, no steel reinforces any associated with Gothic church part of the building, and nothing was architecture. The buttreses resist mass-produced. The stability of the the force pushing a wall outward by architecture is maintained by the force redirecting it to the ground, resisting of gravity: the weight of the building, the outward push of the interior and the various elements of the arches and vaulted ceiling. Flying buttress or small turret, but afterward building—buttresses, pinnacles, arches, buttresses “fly” because the buttress used on parapets at the corners of vaulting—push against each other to is not in contact with the wall all the towers and in many other situations. keep the building intact and upright. way to the ground; the lateral forces The pinnacle looks like a small spire. In addition to adding to the loftiness interior vaulting are transmitted across an intervening space. Flying buttress have two key and verticality of the structure, the A major architectural feature was the parts: a massive vertical masonry block pinnacles are very heavy and enable vaulted ceiling, which transmitted the on the outside of the building and an the flying buttresses to counteract weight of the roof and walls across arch bridging the gap between that the weight of the vaults and roof. By delicate ribs and down the heavy buttress and the wall. adding compressive stress (a result trunks of stone piers. The Cathedral of the pinnacle weight), the building’s pinnacles displays a range of vault styles, from load is shifted downward rather than simple barrel and groin vaults in the A pinnacle is an architectural ornament sideways. crypt to elaborate fan vaulting in originally forming the cap or crown of a main image a pre-earthquake photo of the south side of the cathedral photo r. laut- man; other photos j. alonso, m. mcnamara, 14 cathedral age c.a. seferlis, c. stapert, j. struhldreher the 8 intermediate pinnacles of the central tower are twisted, shifted, and suffered damage to their ornametal carvings; a finial broken from an intermediate pinnacle intermediate fell and pierced the pinnacles grand north transept roof pinnacles the flying buttresses of the apse cracked a stone falling from the transept gargoyle pinnacle decapitated transept this gargoyle pinnacle flying buttresses buttress buttress pinnacle pinnacle buttress pinnacle buttress pinnacles along the nave, crockets and finials transepts, and the apse suffered similar Finials are the topmost portion of a damage; several lost pinnacle, often sculpted as a leaf-like their finials, shown ornament with an upright stem and here in a rain gutter a cluster of crockets. Crockets are gargoyles, and the angel on the cover, projected pieces of carved stone that also help keep water off the vertical decorate the sloping ridges of pinnacles. surfaces of the walls. Gargoyles are The carved shapes of these elements actually overflow rain gutters, with help move rainwater down while pipes running through their bodies keeping the water from the roof or walls. and out their mouths. In the case of grotesque carvings, the rain runs along ornamental carvings a projecting part—such as a nose or Exterior ornamental carvings, including wing—and drips off and away from the grotesques such as Darth Vader, wall. special 2011 15 crocket The top four grand pinnacles of CENTRAL TOWER the central “Gloria in Excelsis” tower rotated in the quake. These are large stone structures (more than 40' tall, and weigh- ing approximately 50 tons each) that rest atop the four corners of the central tower. Each pinnacle is topped by a four-foot-tall finial grand finial that weighs about grand pinnacle 500 pounds. Three of the four grand finials fell off from the grand pinnacles to the tower’s roof and the top five layers (or courses) of multi-crocket stones were shaken badly and are either leaning or have broken auxiliary open. A total of 45 of these im- pinnacle mense stones must be imme- diately removed in order to sta- bilze the pinnacles. It can then be determined which stones can be salvaged and reused, which can be repaired, and which will have to be replaced. On the base of each of the grand pinnacles are four auxiliary pin- nacles. These are the smallest intermediate of the central tower pinnacles, pinnacle (about 8' tall) and broke free of the grand pinnacle during the quake. They are now leaning and will have to be dismantled to replace the courses of stone that were cracked. There are also eight intermediate pinnacles that sit between the grand pinnacles on the balus- trade. These rotated or shifted auxiliary off their bases during the quake. pinnacle Although most of the courses of stone are undamaged, they also have to be dismantled to gain access to the broken lower top courses. fallen three multi- finial right cathedral stone carver sean crocket callahan inspects the earthquake stones damage, august 23, 2011 photo j. alonso 16 cathedral age inset damage to auxiliary pinnacles photo c.stapert TRANSEPTS The southwest pinnacle of the A piece of stone south transept rotated several dislodged from the inches, and there is significant southwest pinnacle cracking throughout. The entire of the south transept southwest corner of the south struck this gargoyle transept will need to be scaffolded and “decapitated” it. to encase the damaged pinnacle to The head is currently make the area safe. Then the pin- held in place only by nacle can be examined to deter- the drainpipe that mine the full extent of the damage. runs through the The outer flying buttress pinnacles gargoyle. Because of the transepts have had their top of its location, the three courses, including the finials, loose head cannot be shift off their bases several inches. retrieved. These courses of stone need to be removed to keep them from falling. In the photo to the right, beyond the gargoyle, the top portion of a buttress pinnacle were dislodged by the earthquake and has slid several inches to the northwest. above the southwest pinnacle of the south transept photo c.a. seferlis right damage to a gargoyle and transept pinnacle buttress photo c. stapert special 2011 17 The six freestanding flying buttresses FLYING BUTTRESSES of the apse swayed or moved during the quake, causing the flying buttress arches to stretch and move, resulting in cracking and separation of stones from one another where the lateral flyer meets the vertical buttress. The buttresses will have to be shored up before scaffolding can be built to further inspect the damage. There has also been rotation and movement along almost every exte- rior pinnacle on the Cathedral—re- sulting in hundreds of spalled corners, cracks, and fallen crockets and finials that will have to be re-carved and installed. The final tally is not yet in. left and above cracks in the apse flying buttresses; photos washington post, c.a. seferlis 18 cathedral age .