Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles
Completed in September 2002 at a cost of $163 million, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels is the seat of the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
This ultra-modern cathedral is one of L.A.'s newest architectural treasures and is the third-largest cathedral in the world.
The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, begun on September 4, 1997, was designed by award-winning Spanish architect Jose Rafael Moneo.
The finished product features a 20,000-square-foot plaza, more than 6,000 crypts and niches (making it the largest crypt mausoleum in the USA), mission-style colonnades, biblically inspired gardens, and numerous artworks created by world-acclaimed artists.
The entire cathedral complex is 58,000 ft² (5,000 m²). The main sanctuary is 333 feet (100 m) long — purposely one foot longer than St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York. The ceiling height varies from 80 feet to about 100 feet.
While most Angelinos admit that the exterior of this austere, sand-colored structure is rather uninspiring and uninviting (the church doors face a private plaza in back surrounded by fortresslike walls), the view from the inside is breathtaking.
Soaring heights, 12,000 panes of translucent alabaster, and larger-than-life tapestries lining the walls create an awe-inspiring sense of magnificence and serenity.
The bronze doors, created by sculptor Robert Graham, pay homage to Ghiberti's bronze baptistery door in Florence.
Location Map
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Quick Facts
| Address: | 555 West Temple St., Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Location: | At Grand Ave. Downtown |
| Phone: | 213/680-5200 |
Source: Frommer's Los Angeles 2005
