Notre Dame of Paris is a Time Machine, and its reopening highlights how cathedrals connect us to the Middle Ages while incorporating renovations, such as the 1859 spire and computerized organ elements. Washington (National) Cathedral blends the medieval and the modern, and one element, the Confederate Memorial Windows, have undergone momentous cultural change, showing how medievalism is not necessarily retrograde, but can also reclaim the past in inclusive ways. See my recent piece, "Reclaiming Medievalism: Washington Cathedral’s Break with Confederate Memory," expertly edited by our friends at medievalists.com. I am adding some of my pix from a 2024 visit to Washington Cathedral here.
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