| Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels | |
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Cathedral Our Lady of the Angels |
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Los Angeles, California United States |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic Church |
| Province | Archdiocese of Los Angeles |
| District | Archdiocese of Los Angeles |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Cathedral |
| Leadership | Most Rev. José Horacio Gómez, Archbishop of Los Angeles Msgr. Kevin Kostelnik, Pastor |
| Website | Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Rafael Moneo |
| Architectural style | contemporary modern; deconstructivist elements |
| Completed | 2002 |
| Construction cost | $250M |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 3,000 people |
| Length | 333 feet (101 m) |
The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, also called "COLA" and the Los Angeles Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church in Los Angeles, California, United States. Opened in 2002, it is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles[1] and seat of its archbishop, currently José Horacio Gómez.[2]
The cathedral was built to replace the Cathedral of Saint Vibiana, which was severely damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. In January 1995, the archdiocese announced plans to build a new cathedral on the St. Vibiana site and began demolishing the old cathedral; however, preservationists blocked the demolition, citing the building's landmark status, and demanded that the old cathedral be incorporated into a new structure. Citing the high cost of bringing the old cathedral to modern seismic standards, the archdiocese began looking for a new cathedral site.[1] In December 1996, the archdiocese purchased a 5.6-acre (2.3 ha) site from Los Angeles County and began construction in October 1998. The cathedral opened in September 2002.
It is mother church to over four million professed Catholics in the archdiocese.[3] In addition to the church, the cathedral grounds also include a mausoleum, gift shop, cafeteria, conference center, and clergy residences. The relics of Saint Vibiana are interred in the mausoleum, as well as several past bishops, archbishops, and auxiliary bishops of Los Angeles.
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The cathedral was designed by the Pritzker Prize-winning Spanish architect Rafael Moneo.[1][4] Using elements of postmodern architecture, the church and the Cathedral Center feature a series of acute and obtuse angles while avoiding right angles. Contemporary statuary and appointments decorate the complex. Prominent of these appointments are the bronze doors and the statue called The Virgin Mary, all adorning the entrance and designed by Robert Graham.
Like the later Oakland Cathedral of Christ the Light, which replaced the earthquake-damaged Saint Francis de Sales Cathedral, Our Lady of the Angels is a base isolated structure for protection against earthquake structural damage.
The site of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels is 5.6 acres (23,000 m2) bound by Temple Street, Grand Avenue, Hill Street and the Hollywood Freeway.[1]
The 12-story high building can accommodate over 3,000 worshipers. The site includes the church, a 2.5 acres (10,000 m2) plaza, several gardens and water features, the Cathedral Center (with the gift shop, the Galero Grill, conference center, and cathedral parish offices), and living quarters for the archbishop and some cathedral clergy. The entire complex is 58,000 sq ft (5,400 m2). The main sanctuary is 333 ft (101 m) long (purposely one-foot longer than St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City). The internal height varies from 80 ft (24 m) over the baptistery at the rear (west end) to approximately 100 ft (30 m) near the lantern window (east end).
Among the artworks commissioned for the cathedral are the tapestries of the communion of saints by painter John Nava, and the plaza fountain by Lita Albuquerque and Robert Kramer. The cathedral claims the world's greatest amount of alabaster at 33,500 sq ft (3,110 m2).[5] They replaced the more traditional stained glass windows and provide the interior with a soft, warm, subtly multi-hued illumination.
The organ is opus 75 of Dobson Pipe Organ Builders of Lake City, Iowa and is a 105 rank/ 4 manual instrument that incorporates pipes from the 1929 Wangerin organ of St. Vibiana's Cathedral. Dobson's Opus 75 has a total of 6,019 pipes.[6] The St. Vibiana instrument was rebuilt in 1988 by Austin Organs, Inc.[7] The organ case is approximately 60 feet (18 m) high, and is located approximately 24 feet (7.3 m) above the floor. To meet earthquake-stability requirements, the pipes and case are supported by a massive internal steel frame.[7]
The Cathedral of Saint Vibiana had served as the cathedral of the Los Angeles see since its completion in 1876. Soon after its completion, the diocese noted it to be of inferior construction quality and also too small for Los Angeles' rapidly growing population. In 1904, Bishop Thomas James Conaty gained permission from the Holy See to build a new cathedral to be named after Our Lady of Guadalupe and purchased a site on which to build the cathedral. However, an economic downturn in 1907 put a stop to the project; a Catholic parish church was later built on the site. In the 1940s, plans were drawn up for a new cathedral on Wilshire Boulevard that would seat 3,000 people, and in 1945 Archbishop John Joseph Cantwell announced that the Holy See approved the name "Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels". Cantwell died in 1947, and the cathedral was never built. His successor, James Francis McIntyre, decided that building churches and schools was a more pressing need for the archdiocese than a new cathedral, and gained permission from donors to redirect money donated to Cantwell's cathedral fund to fund construction of churches and schools.
The 1994 Northridge earthquake severely damaged the Cathedral of Saint Vibiana, which led the archdiocese to close the cathedral due to safety concerns. In January 1995 the archdiocese announced plans to build a new cathedral on the Saint Vibiana site, plans which necessitated the demolition of the old cathedral. This led to a lengthy legal battle between the archdiocese and preservationists, who argued that the cathedral was a city landmark and that it should be either incorporated into the new cathedral or otherwise saved. The archdiocese contended that restoring the old cathedral would cost $18–20 million, an amount that it contends no one would donate.[8]
This legal battle prompted the archdiocese to look to build the cathedral on a new site. In December 1996, the archdiocese announced it was purchasing a 5.6 acres (2.3 ha) site between Temple Street and the Hollywood Freeway from Los Angeles County at a cost of $10.85 million.[8] The archdiocese chose to retain the "Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels" name approved by the Vatican in the 1940s. The initially proposed budget for the project was $150 million, but as the charities and donations kept coming, the architects and builders were able to implement everything desired. The construction was supervised by Father Richard S. Vosko, a liturgical design consultant and priest of the Diocese of Albany who has overseen the design and renovation of numerous churches and cathedrals around the country. [9] Construction began in 1998 and the cathedral was opened in September 2002 at the final cost of $189.7 million. Meanwhile, the old cathedral was eventually restored by developers Tom Gilmore and Richard Weintraub, who spent around $6 million converting it into an events center and performance venue.
Cardinal Mahony's decision to rebuild the Los Angeles cathedral in such elaborate and post-modern architecture drew criticism from both within and outside the Catholic Church, who argued that a church of that size and expense was unnecessary, overly-elaborate and money could have been better spent on social programs.[10] Many felt that either St. Vincent Church on West Adams Boulevard or St. Basil Church on South Kingsley Drive could easily perform the functions required of a cathedral with minimal additional cost. Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral was also criticized for its departure from traditional California Mission-style architecture and aesthetics.
The prices for some cathedral furnishings have also caused consternation. $5 million was budgeted for the altar, the main bronze doors cost $3 million, $2 million was budgeted for the wooden ambo (lectern) and $1 million for the tabernacle. $1 million was budgeted for the cathedra (bishop's chair), $250,000 for the presider's chair, $250,000 for each deacon's chair, and $150,000 for each visiting bishops' chair, while pews cost an average of $50,000 each. The cantor's stand cost $100,000 while each bronze chandelier/speaker cost $150,000.[6] The great costs incurred in its construction and Mahony's long efforts to get it built led critics to dub it the "Taj Mahony"[11] and the "Rog Mahal".[12]
The cathedral features a mausoleum in its lower levels. The mausoleum contains 1,270 crypts and 4,746 columbarium niches for burials. Proceeds from the sale of memorials and burial spaces are placed in an endowment fund for financial stability of the cathedral.[13]
All past ordinaries of the archdiocese are memorialized in the mausoleum, including a future burial site for Cardinal Roger Mahony, and the remains of several ordinaries and auxiliary bishops who died before the cathedral was built were transferred there.[14] The tomb of Saint Vibiana was transferred to the cathedral from its previous location above the altar at the Cathedral of Saint Vibiana; the tomb is the centerpiece of the St. Vibiana Chapel located adjacent to the mausoleum.
The crypt mausoleum features a number of stained glass windows that were originally installed in Saint Vibiana's Cathedral. This idea was suggested by Mario Agustin Locsin, a renowned Liturgical Artist. Mario Locsin was one of the liturgical consultants of the renovation. Two new windows featuring guardian angels were placed at the entrance to the crypt mausoleum. The old cathedral windows were restored and new winsows created by The Judson Studios.[15]