Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

 Mass may not be on your mind during a swing through some of the historic hot spots of Downtown LA. But if you want to be impressed by what some spectacular architecture and a little spirit can do, take a peek a the $300 million masterwork: Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Bordering Hill and Grand Streets along Temple Street, the circa 2002 Cathedral might be considered a sort of Getty of Grand Street. The building of it, alone, was a feat of engineering.

The doors to the cathedral, made of bronze, weigh 50,000 pounds and need the help of a Rolls Royce motor to open. The doors alone were crafted to represent a bridge that is traversed to help us in our journey of the ages and images of 40 ancient pagan symbols are carved into them as a nod to the 40 years the Israelites wandered the deserts, Jesus’ 40 days in the desert and the 40 days of his ascension after Easter. The doors each are scored with seven diagonal lines, perhaps suggesting the seven cardinal virtues or the seven sacraments.

The terra cotta and alabaster cathedral marks an iconic work by Madrid-based, Pritzker-prize winning architect Jose Rafael Moneo. He brings a flood of mythic ornamentation to the mix with symbolic engravings and stories in the walls, windows and doors and a point to be made, a story to be told in every flow, function and angle.

A 6,000-crypt mausoleum lies beneath for those so impressed with the cathedral they want to stay awhile. Others are pleased to pass time in the meditation gardens or appreciate the tapestries covering some of the walls – the most prominent collection is the Communion of Saints along the south and north walls of the nave. Twenty-five fresco-like tapestries depict 135 saints and blesseds from around the world.

The church’s primary theme is light and the light of the spirit is complemented by the light of the world through 27,000 square feet of windows – alabaster windows that create a  milky, warm glow inside.

Should mass be on one’s schedule, the twice daily service is celebrated in 42 languages here. The massive, 6,019-pipe organ provides the effects.

In size, for perspective, the Los Angeles cathedral measures about 1000 feet less than Notre Dame in Paris and 21 feet higher than the Washington National Cathedral, (and one foot longer than St. Patrick's in New York). As the third largest cathedral in the world (and the first to be built in the U.S. for more than a quarter century), it’s worth the time to take the free tour given at 1 pm weekdays. 

- by Lark Ellen Gould, Los Angeles Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)