English: Iron grillwork reminiscent of thistles closing off the rear (west) section of the St. Joseph of Arimathea Chapel on the crypt level of the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Behind the grillwork is the organ.

The chapel was the third one built in the cathedral and finished in early 1927. The chapel is in the Romanesque style, and in the form of a Greek cross. This crypt is directly below the crossing and the Gloria in Excelsis (Main) Tower of the cathedral. The four massive piers which support the tower give the chapel its form. The chapel is a full eight feet below the rest of the crypt level, and is reached by 12 steps in the north and south. The concept is that the visitor should feel like s/he is descending into the earth (just as Jesus did when buried in Joseph of Arimathea's tomb), and should feel the entire weight of the cathedral on him/her (just as Jesus felt the weight of the world on his shoulders).

The altar is the gift of Lenora Christian of Minneapolis, Minnesota, in honor of her husband, George H. Christian. (George Christian invented a new process for milling spring wheat, becoming fabulously wealthy and making Minneapolis the "milling capital of the world.") The mural behind the altar -- the only mural anywhere in the cathedral -- was painted on gold leaf in 1937 by Jan Henrik De Rosen.

The organ is a duplexed, two manual, two pedal organ built by Skinner in 1939. Originally housed in the Resurrection Chapel, it is now housed in the rear (west) of the St. Joseph of Arimathea Chapel behind an iron grill.