English: The Mellon Bay on the south side of the nave at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Andrew Mellon was one of the wealthiest men in the United States in the 1910s, 1920s, and 1930s. His father was a wealthy Pittsburgh banker who literally gave him a bank at the age of 27. Andrew Mellon quickly got into oil, coal, coke, shipbuilding, aluminum manufacturing, and steel. Only Henry Ford and John D. Rockefeller were wealthier. Mellon was Secretary of the Treasury from March 9, 1921, to February 12, 1932 -- the longest period in U.S. history. He told President Herbert Hoover to let people and businesses go bankrupt during the Great Depression, as this would "wring the fat" out of the system. Hated and loathed by the American people, he was forced out of office. In 1937, he donated his substantial art collection, plus $10 million for construction, to establish the National Gallery of Art. He and his son, Paul Mellon, donated heavily to the construction of the cathedral.

The cross on the wall is the "Coventry Cross of Nails." During World War II, the ancient cathedral in Coventry, England, was almost completely destroyed during a night of German Luftwaffe bombing. After the bombing, Coventry Cathedral stonemason Jock Forbes saw two wooden beams lying in the shape of a cross, tied them together, and placed them on the ruins of the cathedral altar. The words "Father Forgive" were written across the cross. (This is the first part of one of the sayings of Jesus on the cross: "Father, forgive them, as they know not what they do.") The "Coventry Cross" became a worldwide symbol of hope and forgiveness.

Another "Coventry Cross" -- made of nails -- was made of three nails from the roof truss of the old cathedral by Provost Richard Howard of Coventry Cathedral. On rare occasions, Coventry Cathedral takes nails from the original, bombed cathedral and makes a "Coventry Cross of Nails" to donate to another church.

The "Coventry Cross of Nails" seen here was donated to the Washington National Cathedral by Coventry Cathedral. This more formal rendition of the "Coventry Cross of Nails" also contains the words "Father forgive."