OT: Star Wars fans

[Zarix]

Found a gargoyle that looks like Darth Vader. link Does anyone know if Darth Vader is based on this gargoyle? First I thought this was some kind of joke, but one guy in another forum send them mail and their reply was that there is nothing wrong with it.

[geoschmo]

Possibility this Gargoyle was around before Star Wars as was the basis for the movie Vader = 0%

Possibility this is an actual Gargoyle on the National Cathedral, modeled after Vader from the movie = maybe 5% (They might have some sort of American Culture display I guess. It is the National Cathedral afterall.)

Possibility this is a prank someone running the website is playing, or someone has hacked in and done = 95%

Geo

[geoschmo]

Well, it appears that possibility # 2 is it. They have a bunch of Gargoyles at the cathedral. They have a couple walls with various silly or comical gargoyles, as well as your standard gargoyle types.

Check this out.

Geo

[Zarix]

I found this in POV-Ray newsGroups. It has been there at least for four days. I thought it might be medieval helmet or something like that.

[Zarix]

Well, I guess it is Darth Vader. I really didn't expect to find something like that in a church.

[geoschmo]

From the stuff I saw searching the web, it appears they have a buch of very unusual gargoyles. I guess you almost need binoculars to see some of them though cause they are way up and aren't very big.

Just a way to be "hip" I guess.

Geoschmo

[Andr�s]

IIRC Vader's mask was based in a samurai helmet and a gas mask.

[Dracus]

read this,
The idea for a national cathedral is as old as Washington itself. In 1791, when Congress selected the site to be the capital of the United States, President George Washington commissioned Major Pierre l'Enfant to design an overall plan for the future seat of government.

Included in l'Enfant's plan was a church, "intended for national purposes, such as public prayer, thanksgiving, funeral orations, etc.,and assigned to the special use of no particular Sect of denomination, but equally open to all."

Largely through the efforts of Washington community leaders such as Riggs Bank President Charles C. Glover, plans for building Washington National Cathedral gained momentum. On January 6, 1893, Congress granted a charter to the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation of the District of Columbia, allowing it to establish a cathedral and institutions of higher learning. Signed by President Benjamin Harrison, this charter was the birth certificate of Washington National Cathedral.

After his consecration in 1896, the Reverend Dr, Henry Yates Satterlee, the first bishop of Washington, managed to secure land on Mount Saint Alban — the most commanding spot in the entire Washington area.

On September 29, 1907, the foundation stone was laid. President Theodore Roosevelt and the Bishop of London spoke to the crowd of ten thousand. The stone itself came from a field near Bethlehem and was inset into a larger piece of American granite. On it was the inscription: "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:14).

With the laying of the cathedral foundation stone, the grassy, tree — shaded Close became home to the longest — running construction site in the nation's capital. The first chapel, Bethlehem Chapel, was completed in 1912. Daily services have continued there ever since. Work on the building continued with few interruptions — construction was halted during the world wars. By 1964, the central tower was completed.

In 1972, the cathedral nave was enclosed as the north and south walls met at the west facade. The completed nave was dedicated in 1976 in a series of ceremonies attended by the Queen of England, the President of the United States, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and thousands of other worshippers.

Construction stopped in 1977 due to a shortage of funds. In 1980, work resumed, and the Pilgrim Observation Gallery was completed and opened to the public in 1982. Then in 1983, the final phase of construction began with the setting of the first stone for the west towers.

The completion of the west towers in September 1990 marked the end of eighty — three years of construction and the realization of a dream. Since the first services were held in Bethlehem Chapel, Washington National Cathedral has opened its doors to people of all faiths as they have gathered to worship and pray, to mourn the passing of world leaders, and to confront the pressing moral and social issues of the twentieth century.

The thing was not finished until 1990. since gargoyles are usaual added Last. I would guess that this was most likely added in the 1980's aster star wars came out.

[Dracus]

Here is another interesting fact:

The Space Window on the south aisle of the Cathedral contains a piece of lunar rock that was presented to the Cathedral by the astronauts of Appollo XI.

There are 721 boss stones in the Cathedral, 640 located on the nave level. (A boss is a projecting stone at the intersection of ribs, frequently elaborately carved.)
There are 110 gargoyles on the Cathedral. ( A gargoyle is a pierced or tunneled stone projecting from a gutter and intended to carry rain away from the wall and foundations. Usually carved into the image of a beast or ugly creature

[ 04 January 2002: Message edited by: Dracus ]

[ 04 January 2002: Message edited by: Dracus ]

[Dracus]

I e-mailed the cathedral asking the questions:
IF this was real and where was he located.
here is the answer I got back within five minutes.

"He's on the east face of the northwest tower, rather high off the ground."

the smithsonian says there is also
A lawyer and a hippie on the building.

[ 04 January 2002: Message edited by: Dracus ]