No. 15 On The Map
Cathedral Garth
On the north side of the Cathedral, between the Cathedral and the Administration Building, the Garth offers a place of respite, centered on an abstract fountain designed by George Tsutakawa. The All Souls Memorial Garden, located in the grassy area in the back of the garth, provides an in-ground burial place for cremated remains.
The All Souls Memorial Garden was created in the aftermath of the magnitude 5.8 earthquake of 2011. The earthquake caused limestone pinnacles to twist and fall, shattering on the Garth’s floor and requiring its closure. The original Garth Garden, designed by landscape architect Mead Palmer, was renovated and replanted in 2019 to create the All Souls Memorial Garden. The top of the bronze plaque on the garden wall is inscribed: ALL WE GO DOWN TO THE DUST YET EVEN AT THE GRAVE WE MAKE OUR SONG – ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA
The fountain and the Garth were dedicated on April 30, 1969. Artist George Tsutakawa, created the fountain from sheets of silicon bronze. It has a dark antique finish to contrast with the surrounding buff-colored limestone. A limestone plaque is placed in the low wall between the fountain and the Cathedral. A limestone plaque in honor of Irene Sophie DuPont, who was the first chair of the Delaware National Cathedral Association, is located in the stone wall behind the fountain. The plaque is inscribed: North Garth Fountain – Praise God Who Giveth the Water of Life And Hath Received into Everlasting Life – Irene Sophie duPont 1877-1961 – The Gift of Her Descendants and The Delaware National Cathedral Association
A limestone plaque was dedicated on June 16, 1961 in honor or Susie Kennedy Anderson – who’s bequest was used for the expansion of the administration building as well as the construction of the North Garth Cloister. Cathedral Dean Francis Sayre wrote the plaque’s inscription: Let Him Who Enters God’s House By This Cloister Bless The Memory Of Susie Kennedy Anderson 1870 – 1958 Whose Gentle Life Was A Faithful Witness To God’s Love And Whose Final Wish Was That Christ’s Redeeming Banner Be Unfurled In Three Great Cathedrals. Miss Anderson was a devoted Episcopalian and a friend of cathedrals. Her own diocese was the Garden City Diocese. The two other cathedrals of the “Three Great Cathedrals” are the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City and the Garden City Cathedral on Long Island, NY.
Watch Washington National Cathedral’s video Nurturing Hope: Prayers and Pilgrimage in the Cathedral Garth below featuring readings by All Hallows Guild Board members.
Walking out of the Garth through the stone arch, and then west along the sidewalk, you reach the West Front Oak Grove and the entrance to the Cathedral at Walker Court.
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