CATHEDRALS OF THE OLD AND NEW WORLD 



91 



lines are emphasized at the expense of the 

 horizontal — an effect which is due chiefly 

 to the absolutely plain, square masses 

 which form the corners of the tower and 

 extend without a break from roof to 

 parapet. The same motif reveals itself, 

 with even greater emphasis, in the towers 

 which flank the southerly front of the 

 transept. 



Additional variety is given to the south- 

 west view of the cathedral by two oc- 

 tagonal structures — a turret stairway 

 built against the wall of the nave at the 

 fourth bay from the transept, and the 

 finely proportioned baptistery, access to 

 which from the church is had through a 

 groined corridor. 



The tall traceried windows of the bap- 

 tistery, with flying buttresses between, 

 surmounted by a rich parapet and a lofty 

 eight-sided roof, render this an architect- 

 ural gem in itself and a worthy adjunct 

 to the great church which it flanks. 



THE WESTERN FRONT 



In appraising the architectural merit of 

 a modern cathedral we inevitably and 

 very properly compare it with the superb 

 ecclesiastical buildings which are the sole 

 surviving evidence, on the grand scale, of 

 the architectural genius of the Middle 

 Ages. 



They are indeed a priceless heritage for 

 the archeologist and a veritable encyclo- 

 pedia for the guidance of the modern 

 architect. 



If we thus refer to the ancient cathe- 

 drals for a measure of the excellence of 

 the Washington fagade, we are con- 

 fronted with an anomaly; for we find 

 that whereas the French architects en- 

 deavored to make their fronts a notable 

 feature, if not the noblest, of the whole 

 cathedral, the English, in the majority of 

 cases, seem to have given little thought 

 to the western front and to have been 

 content to erect a rather modest entrance 

 at the side of the nave. 



Only at York (page 62), Wells (page 

 73), and Peterborough (page 78) has an 

 attempt been made to render the western 

 front and its porches a worthy expression 

 of the great structure beyond. 



The French delighted in deep and 

 lofty porches, never providing less than 

 three and sometimes as many as five, all 

 enriched with such a wealth of sculpture 



that it frequently flowed over and spread 

 itself throughout the whole area of the 

 fagade, to the very top of its great flank- 

 ing towers. 



Too often the English facades are cold. 

 formal, and altogether inexpressive of the 

 size and rich variety of the body of the 

 church beyond. 



And here again we think that the archi- 

 tect of the Washington cathedral has 

 found the happy mean. The lofty cen- 

 tral porch, 90 feet in height, and the two 

 side porches, 60 feet high, not only cor- 

 respond in strict proportion to the nave 

 and side aisles to which they, severally, 

 form the entrance, but by their great 

 height and width, and the fact that they 

 are recessed fully 40 feet beyond the face 

 of the fagade, they challenge comparison 

 with Peterborough, the finest of the Eng- 

 lish examples, and with the justly famous 

 porches of Rheims (page 82) and Amiens 

 (page 83). 



The treatment of the western towers 

 is marked by the fine restraint and well- 

 balanced sense of proportion, which char- 

 acterizes the whole fabric of the cathedral. 

 The embellishment, in the form of statu- 

 ary and decorative carving, is rich without 

 being excessive. 



The buttressing is strong, simple, and 

 so drawn as to emphasize the height of 

 the towers. Moreover (and this marks 

 always the true artist in monumental 

 building), there is an ample and satis- 

 fying area of plain, undecorated wall sur- 

 face. 



THE NAVE 



The sense of restful satisfaction with 

 which we look upon a perfect architec- 

 tural work is due to the perfect propor- 

 tion of its linear dimensions, the nice bal- 

 ance of its masses, and the good taste 

 with which its decorative enrichment is 

 applied. The Washington nave meets 

 each of those requirements. 



Entering the nave from the west, the 

 eye ranges through the full length of the 

 cathedral — nave, crossing, choir, and 

 sanctuary — to rest upon the far-distant 

 stained-glass windows of the apse. The 

 long line of stately columns, the rich tri- 

 forium, the spacious and deeply recessed 

 windows of the clearstory, lift the eye to 

 the unbroken line of the vaulted ceiling, 

 the whole combining to give instantly an 



