D.C.'S NATIONAL CATHEDRAL HAS UNIQUELY AMERICAN ATTITUDE : ON LOCATION.

Byline: Larry Bleiberg Dallas Morning News

The National Cathedral offers European tradition with a New World twist. From stained glass embedded with a moon rock to a gargoyle of Darth Vader, there's no question the church in northwest Washington is as American as apple pie.

But with flying buttresses and soaring towers, it just happens to look as Old World as Notre Dame.

Cathedrals sometimes elicit yawns from tourists, but this one has so many intriguing details even children will be fascinated.

There's the corner dedicated to Abraham Lincoln, with shiny pennies embedded in the floor. There are wall carvings of animals at play, and there's even a chapel dedicated to children, with child-size furniture and Noah's Ark sculpture.

Visitors will find an intriguing mix of spirituality, architecture and American quirkiness. The church is modern by cathedral standards. Ground was broken in 1907, with President Teddy Roosevelt presiding over the ceremony.

The $65 million building has been in use for decades, but was completed 83 years later, relatively quickly by the standards of cathedral construction.

The church, built in the style of the 14th century and made entirely of Indiana limestone, was home to carvers who spent their careers working on the building. As with those who labored on cathedrals of old, the workers played jokes in the stone, carving 110 gargoyles and grotesques into the outer walls.

The Cathedral's most popular gargoyle probably is the harried commuter, with briefcase in hand. But Darth Vader is visible on the outside wall, as is a hippie and a movie-maker holding a camera. There's also a missile-toting hawk and a gas mask-wearing dove, each exhibiting their particular philosophy toward war.

There is, of course, a serious side to the building.

Known officially as the Cathedral Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, it is the sixth-largest church in the world, and its central tower is the tallest structure in the capital city, even outreaching the Washington Monument.

Although it is the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, the Cathedral is open to all denominations. It also is an active church, hosting more than 1,200 services a year.

In its short life, the building has accounted for its share of history. It's where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his last Sunday sermon the week before he was assassinated. Five days later, his memorial service was held here.

The Cathedral is the final resting place of 150 people, including Woodrow Wilson, the only president buried in Washington. Helen Keller also is interred in one of the chambers beneath the main hall. In death as in life, she is accompanied by her teacher and interpreter Anne Sullivan.

As Washington's church, it has held funerals of presidents, diplomats and Supreme Court justices, and hosted celebrations at the end of wars.

The church has several cubbyholes and small chapels, but the main focus is its central hall or nave, which stretches for a tenth of a mile.

Flags from each of the U.S. states line the wall, and each side holds bays built around stained-glass windows. Each window tells a story, many with an American theme. The Lee-Jackson window, named for the Civil War generals, shows scenes from the conflict. There are even windows dedicated to the Lewis and Clark Expedition and to the peaceful use of atomic energy.

The most famous scene is the space window, which commemorates the flight of Apollo XI. The glass contains swirls of blue dotted with stars, and at the center is a piece of moon rock.

Another favorite corner is the chapel of St. John. Here the Cathedral displays a rotating collection of more than 100 U.S.-themed kneelers, embroidered by volunteers. A Harriet Tubman kneeler shows a train and shackled black hands, a reference to her underground railroad that guided slaves to freedom. An Alexander Graham Bell kneeler has a telephone. Others honored include Albert Einstein, Samuel Clemens and Susan B. Anthony.

Every year, the Cathedral devotes one week to honor each U.S. state, with special prayers read. The Cathedral has compiled a book of the state prayers, and at $1, it makes a unique souvenir. As with the building itself, the prayers contain references to geography and history. Alabama's prayer speaks of cotton, mines and hydroelectric plants, while Maine's praises the state's pine trees, lobsters and blueberries.

Who would have suspected the states could inspire such poetry? As with the building itself, the prayers are truly American.

The Massachusetts and Wisconsin avenues in northwest Washington, is open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, with extended hours to 9 p.m. during the summer. Tours, which last about 45 minutes, are offered 10 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 12:30 to 2:45 p.m. Sundays. Tours start at the west end of the cathedral.

Cathedral close-up tours focusing on different aspects of the building are given the first Sunday of each month at 1:30 p.m.

Worship services are at 7:30 a.m., noon and 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Sunday services begin at 8 a.m. and are held throughout the day.

Information: [phone] or [phone] (recorded).

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Photo: Visitors and parishioners attend a service at the National Cathedral.

Eric Hylden/Knight-RidderTribune Photo Service

On Location (See text)