Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
Posted July 10th, 2011 by MegContrary to popular belief, I’m not always eating. Sometimes, I’m drinking. One day, between eating & drinking, I stopped by the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.
The COLA is a Roman Catholic cathedral that opened in 2002, built in replacement of the Cathedral of Saint Vibiana, which was damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Because the site of Saint Vibiana was a city landmark and would require the old cathedral be incorporated into the new one at a major cost, the archdiocese instead decided to build on the current location. COLA is a mother church to over four million professed Catholics in the archdiocese. The grounds include a mausoleum, gift shop, cafeteria, conference center, and residences for clergy.
The COLA’s post-modern architecture has been criticized by people within and outside the CC. The common criticisms are that the size and (ironically) expense were both unnecessary and overly-elaborate.
It can house over 3,000 worshipers;
$5mil. for the alter;
$3mil. for the main bronze doors;
$2mil. for wooden ambo (raised stand/podium);
$1mil. for the tabernacle;
$1mil. for the cathedra (bishop’s chair);
$250k for the presider’s chair;
$250k for each deacon’s chair;
$150k for each visiting bishop’s chair;
$50k for each pew;
$100k for the cantor’s stand (chief singer of the choir); and
$150k for each bronze chandelier/speaker.
On top of that, it has also been said that it departs from the traditional California Mission-style architecture and aesthetics.
I have always enjoyed the organ. (Is that strange?) This organ was built by Dobson Pipe Organ Builders in Iowa. It has 105 ranks of pipes, some retained from the St. Vibian organ.
