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The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
A lot of modern interpretations of classical architecture get lost. Either the architects try to be too modern and forget the things that make a building important (ex.: The Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral in Houston). Or they don't go far enough and end up making a building that looks old out of new materials (ex.: the NBC Tower in Chicago). The architects of The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels managed to walk the fine line and actually produce a fine piece of architecture.
From the outside, the cathedral is modern in its geometry, but at the same time strikingly similar to the adobe missions that preceded it. The detached bell tower is an historic touch that is finding a resurgence in contemporary religious architecture in America. Steeply slanted roof lines allow light to enter the sanctuary while keeping the heat out -- another balancing game becoming more and more common in this era of building "green."
In another nod to the missions of California's past, the Cathedral is part of a larger compound of buildings surrounded by a high wall. The compound is entered on Temple Street through a gap in the south wall known as the Shepherd's Gate (a reference to Jesus as the shepherd of the faithful). The gate's arch is topped by a 36-bell carillon embedded in the wall. It is a clever way to denote a change and to invite people inside without signage.
The largest bell in the carillon was forged in 1929 in Belgium by Marcel Michiels Jr. It was originally made for William Randolph Hearst's San Simeon castle, but never installed there. Instead it ended up at Saint Timothy's Church in Los Angeles in the 1950's and then became part of the new cathedral. The other 35 bells are also Belgian and also recycled. They came from the old carillon tower at Saint Monica's church in Santa Monica which was damaged by an earthquake in 1971. The bells, which were a gift to the church from Johanna Shanahan in the 1920's, had been in storage since their original bell tower was damaged.
Once past the carillon, visitors are greeted by a small plaza known as the Lower Plaza, almost like a foyer, which links the underground parking garage with the main center of activity past a fountain and above a rank of steps. The steps are divided by a wedge which geometrically matches the cathedral's southwest corner, sharing the same shadows and giving the illusion that the building is even larger and closer than it really is. The Lower Plaza is also where the Gateway Pool and Water Wall is located, one of three water features in the complex. It has the phrase, "I shall give you living water" carved in it in the 37 languages of the mass across the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
Other fountains in the complex include the Jerusalem Fountain, which was a gift from the city's Jewish community, and the peaceful Meditation Garden Fountain, which is evocative of Buddhist installations.
The cathedral is both a looming and a welcoming presence in the main plaza. Its scale makes it hard to ignore, but there are several other things going on in the plaza which draw our attention -- the gift shop, the line of King Palms leading to the church entrance, the shrine to Our Lady of Guadeloupe, and even an olive grove. The layout is scattered, but harmonious and creates a peaceful sanctuary from the activity of the city just a few feet away.
Some of that activity is eight lanes of US 101, known locally as the Hollywood Freeway, that flow right past the cathedral. While that may sound like an ugly juxtaposition, if you've ever viewed the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris from a tour boat, the site will be familiar -- a monumental religious structure standing proudly and watchfully, hard on the shore as traffic moves by below. In the case of Paris that traffic is on the Seine River. In L.A. it's cars drifting down the freeway. Either way, it's an excellent way to convey a powerful message to millions of people passing by.
The new cathedral became a reality after the 1994 Northridge Earthquake severely damaged Saint Vibiana's Cathedral. Instead of building a new cathedral on the old site, a new site was chosen adjacent to the city's civic center and performing arts centers.
Saint Vibiana was beloved by the people of the city, but could hold just 1,100 parishioners and had no heat or air conditioning. Just 25 years after it was built in 1876 it was already at capacity and plans had been on and off the books for years to have it replaced. In fact, the name "Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels" was approved by the Vatican in the 1940's when one of the failed replacement attempts started to gain steam.
The old cathedral was traded to the city in exchange for the CalTrans land where the new cathedral now stand. Saint Vibiana was then sold to a private developer for $4,600,000 and renovated for another $6,000,000 into a performing arts center.
All in all, the cathedral is a success. It is a physical structure that welcomes and embraces. It shows us where the Church is going without forgetting its past. And it does so while managing to fit into its environment -- a major challenge when you have to answer to a higher authority.
- Site: 5.6 acres
- Floor space: 65,000 square feet
- Cathedral capacity: 3,000 people
- Weight: 151,000,000 pounds
- Design lifespan: 500 years
- Carillon bells: 36
- Mausoleum capacity: 6,300 (1,300 crypts, 5,000 niches)
- Alabaster windows: 30,000 square feet
- Pipe organ pipes: 6,019
- 1994: Saint Vibiana's Cathedral is damaged by the Northridge Earthquake
- 1996: The city of Los Angeles condemns Saint Vibiiana's Cathedral.
- September 21, 1997: Ground blessing ceremony
- May, 1999: Construction begins.
- Spring, 2002: Construction is completed.
- September 2, 2002: The cathedral is consecrated.
- Architect: José Rafael Moneo
- Architect: Leo A. Daly
- Gateway Pool and Water Wall designer: Lita Albuquerque.
- Shrine designer: Lalo Garcia
- Bronze doors sculptor: Robert Graham
- Tapestries by: John Nava
- Native American Memorial designer: Johnny Bear Contreras
- Instead of stained glass windows, the cathedral has alabaster windows covered in glass.
- The cathedral has almost no 90° angles.
- All of the plant species chosen for the landscaping have important religious or Biblical significance.
- The votive candle holders are decorated with Aztec religious symbols.
- Althought it appears the cathedral is faced with rows of panels, the building is actually poured concrete that has been textured to make it appear otherwise.
- The building gets its adobe color from gold colored sand mixed with white concrete.
- The cathedral doors are carved with a number of animals depicting various symbols of spirituality around the world. People have taken to touching and even kissing the animals as they enter.
- The statue above the cathedral doors is eight feet tall.
- The altar is made of Turkish marble and weighs six tons.
- The pews are made of cherry wood.
- The sanctuary contains 25 tapestries made from Egyptian cotton in Belgium and show 135 prominent church figures.
- This was formerly the location of a surface parking lot. The Archdiocese bought it from Los Angeles County for $10,800,000.
- Among those who made donations to help build the cathedral were Betsy Bloomingdale, billionaire Eli Broad, Roy Disney, Merv Griffin, Bob Hope, and Rupert Murdoch, and former mayor Richard J. Riordan.
- It is often stated that this was the first new cathedral built in the United States for 40 years. This is incorrect. The Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe opened in Dodge City, Kansas December 9, 2001 -- less than a year before {HumanName}.
- The largest of the bells has two inscriptions on it: "Ring out the darness of the land, Ring in the Christ that is to be," and "Ring in the valiant man and free the larger heart, the kindlier hand."
- In the event of an earthquake the main building is able to slide up to 27 inches.
- Actress June Marlowe is buried here.
- Actor Gregory Peck is buried here.
- Saint Vibina, patron saint of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles is buried here.
- Unlike most art, visitors are encouraged to touch, feel, and run their hands along the Native American Memorial.
- The bells of the carillon are re-used from other California bell towers.
- Many of the pipes in the pipe organ were salvaged from Saint Vibiana's Cathedral.
- Some people believe the old Saint Vibiana's Cathedral could have been saved since it was sold by the city to a private developer who was able to renovate it and turn it into a performing arts complex.
- Some believed a new cathedral was unnecessary and lobbied to have Saint Basil Church or Saint Vincent Church used for the new cathedral.
- At one point the Archdiocese considered moving the cathedral to the suburbs.
^^^"The Cardinal wanted to be near the civic center because of the Latin tradition of the civic buildings representing the civil authority and the cathedral representing the spiritual authority."vvvReverend Gregory Coiro in the New York Times, December 26, 1996.
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