Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles
Aerial view of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, which overlooks busy Highway 101. Image © Google Earth.
Exterior view of the modern cathedral. Photo
Just A Slice.
The impressive facade. Photo
Lydiat.
The cathedral glowing from within at the "blue hour." Photo
Donn.
View alongside the cathedral, with the belltower on the left and the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the right. Photo
Just A Slice.
Bronze statue of the Virgin Mary. Photo
Just A Slice.
Detail of bronze doors by Robert Graham. Photo
Just A Slice.
Panoramic view of the interior. Photo
Just A Slice.
View from center aisle during a service. Photo
Paul Stumper.
Cross and alabaster windows over the high altar. Photo
Lydiat.
Tapestries of the Communion of the Saints. Photo
Zeetz Jones.
Stained glass window depicting the Annunciation of Mary. Photo
Just A Slice.
Shrine of St. Vibiana. Photo
Oracio Alvarado.
Tomb of Gregory Peck in the crypt. Photo
Oracio Alvarado.
Designed by an award-winning Spanish architect, the Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles opened in 2002. In addition to its striking architecture, it is notable for its remarkable modern art and important Catholic shrines.
History
The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels replaces the Cathedral of Saint Vibiana, which was built in 1876 and severely damaged in the 1994 earthquake. After considerable controversy over the question of rebuilding the old structure, a decision was made to move to a new site in 1996. The former cathedral building was sold to to developer Tom Gilmore in 1999, who transformed it into a performing arts complex called Vibiana.
When he announced the new site in 1996, Cardinal Roger Mahony also revealed that the new cathedral would be named the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, a title already approved by the Pope in 1945 when unfulfilled plans were made for reconstruction of St. Vibiana's. The title reflects the original name of Los Angeles when it was founded in 1781: El Pueblo de nuestra Señora, Reina de los Angeles, "City of Our Lady, Queen of the Angels." Her feast day of September 4 is observed each year.
The cathedral's present site was owned by the City and used as a parking lot until the Diocese purchased it in 1996 for $10.85 million. The original budget for building a new cathedral was estimated at $150 million, but plentiful donations allowed for a final cost of $189.7 million.
Ground Blessing Ceremonies took place on Sunday, September 21, 1997 and construction began in October 1998. The formal blessing and dedication of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels took place on September 2, 2002.
What to See
Architecture
The cathedral complex includes a large courtyard, parking lot, cafe, and shrine, covering a total of 58,000 square feet. The cathedral itself is 333 feet long, which is purposely one foot longer than St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, and rises to an internal height of 80 feet at the west end to about 100 feet at east end by the altar. The tall belltower is detached from the cathedral building in the Italian tradition.
The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels is an impressive and unusual building that makes minimal use of right angles and incorporates the latest techniques for earthquake safeguards. It was designed by Rafael Moneo, a Pritzker-prize-winning architect from Spain, who chose "Light" and "Journey" as his unifying themes. The interior is brightly illuminated by high windows made of Spanish alabaster and the entrance leads into a large ambulatory that inclines slightly as it approaches the light-filled altar.
Artworks
The bronze doors and the statue of the Virgin Mary over the entrance were designed by Robert Graham, a local California sculptor and husband of Angelica Houston. He died in December 2008, shortly after being inducted into the California Hall of Fame. His large funeral was held at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. His lovely statue of the Virgin Mary is described by the cathedral this way:
Mary does not wear the traditional veil. Her arms are bare, outstretched to welcome all. Her carriage is confident, and her hands are strong, the hands of a working woman. From the side can be seen a thick braid of hair down her back that summons thoughts of Native American or Latina women. Other characteristics, such as her eyes, lips and nose convey Asian, African and Caucasian features. Without the conventional regal trappings of jewels, crown or layers of clothing, she has a dignity that shines from within.
Instead of the usual biblical scenes, the bronze doors of this cathedral are decorated with a fascinating array of cultural and symbolic images, which incorporate Christian mystical numbers (3 for the Trinity, 4 for the Gospels, 7 as the perfect number, 8 for resurrection, 40 for the days in the desert, and so on). At the bottom of the inner doors, a grapevine contains 40 ancient symbols such as the eagle, griffin, goose, Southwest Indian Flying Serpent, bee, hand, ostrich, dove, Chinese turtle, Samoan kava bowl, the Native American Chumash man, and the dolphin.
Above this are 15 manifestations of the Virgin Mary from Europe and the New World, including the Immaculate Conception, Virgin of Guadalupe, Pietá, Mater Dolorosa, Virgin of Pomata, Virgin of the Rosary of Chichinquira, Divine Shepherdess, Virgin of the Cave, Virgin of the Candlestick and others.
The interior is decorated with three sets of earth-toned tapestries by painter John Nava. The side walls of the nave are covered with 25 tapestries titled the Communion of Saints, depicting 135 saints and blesseds from around the world, including North America. Each one was carefully researched and designed using a combination of traditional and modern methods. The artist expressed his desire that people would identify with the portraits, realizing that "a saint could look like me."
Behind the baptismal font are the five Baptistery Tapestries, centering on a depiction of the Baptism of Christ. The east wall is decorated with seven Altar Tapestries featuring a schematic map of Los Angeles converging with a Cosmatesque design. A quote from the Book of Revelation sewn into these tapestries reads, "See, God's dwelling is among mortals. God will dwell with them. They will be God's people and God will be with them."
Crypt Mausoleum and Shrines
The cathedral includes a large crypt mausoleum in its lower level, containing 6,000 places for burials. It is decorated with stained glass windows from Saint Vibiana's Cathedral and two new windows of guardian angels. Proceeds from the sale of burial spaces are placed in an endowment fund for financial stability of the Cathedral.
Notable among those entombed here are previous bishops of Los Angeles, actor Gregory Peck, actress June Marlowe, and Saint Vibiana, a 3rd-century Roman martyr and the patron saint of Los Angeles. Her relics were discovered in the Roman catacombs in 1853, under a Latin plaque dedicated "to the soul of the innocent and pure Vibiana, laid away the day before the kalends of September [August 31]." They were brought to Los Angeles in 1854, where the Cathedral of St. Vibiana was built in her honor.
Quick Facts
Site Information |
| Names: | Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels |
| Dedicated to: | Virgin Mary (of the Angels) |
| Location: | Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Category: | Cathedrals |
| Faith: | Christianity |
| Denomination: | Catholic |
| Status: | active |
| Date: | 1998-2002 |
| Architecture: | Modern |
| Size: | Length: 333 feet (100 m) Internal height: 70-100 feet Capacity: 3,000 |
Visitor Information |
| Coordinates: | 34.058088° N, 118.245565° W (view on Google Maps) |
| Address: | 555 West Temple St., Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Phone: | 213/680-5200 |
| Website: | www.olacathedral.org |
| Hours: | Mon-Fri 6:30am-6:30pm Sat 9am-6pm Sun 7am-6pm |
| Cost: | Free |
| Photography: | Permitted |
| Services: | Mon-Fri 7am, 12:10pm Sun 8am, 10am, 12:30pm (Spanish) |
| Facilities: | Gift shop; cafe; toilets; parking ($3.50/15min; free during services) |
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Location Map
Below is a location map and aerial view of Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Using the buttons on the left, zoom in for a closer look or zoom out to get your bearings. Click and drag the map to move around. For a larger view, see our Los Angeles Map.
Article Sources
Article written by Holly Hayes with reference to the following sources:
- About: History - official website of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
- Architecture - official website
- Saint Vibiana - archdiocese of Los Angeles
- Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels - Wikipedia (accessed April 2009)
Article last updated: 08/15/2009.
