Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (Spanish: Catedral de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles), informally known as the COLA or the Los Angeles Cathedral (Spanish: Catedral de Los Ángeles), is the metropolitan cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church in Los Angeles, California, United States. It opened in 2002 and serves as the mother church for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles,[1] as well as the seat of Archbishop José Horacio Gómez.[2]
Cathedral of
Our Lady of the Angels
United States
2002
September 2, 2002
Modern architecture; deconstructivist elements
2002
$189.7 million
3,000 people
333 feet (101 m) ; nave
Msgr. Antonio Cacciapuoti
The structure replaced the Cathedral of Saint Vibiana, which was severely damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Under Roger Cardinal Mahony, Archbishop of Los Angeles, Our Lady of the Angels was begun in 1998 and formally dedicated on September 2, 2002. There was considerable controversy over both its deconstructivist and modern design, costs incurred in its construction and furnishing, and the archdiocese's decision to build a crypt under the cathedral.[3]
The cathedral is named in honor of the Virgin Mary under the patronal title of "Our Lady of the Angels", echoing the full name of the original settlement of Los Angeles (Spanish: El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles, or "The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels").[4] The cathedral is widely known for enshrining the relics of Saint Vibiana and tilma piece of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It is the mother church to approximately five million professed Catholics in the archdiocese.[5]
Organ[edit]
The organ is Opus 75 of Dobson Pipe Organ Builders of Lake City, Iowa, and is a 105 rank four-manual instrument that incorporates pipes from the 1929 Wangerin organ of St. Vibiana's Cathedral. The St. Vibiana instrument had been rebuilt in 1988 by Austin Organs.[16] The Dobson instrument has a total of 6,019 pipes and was dedicated in 2003. It is the 89th largest pipe organ in North America and the 143rd largest in the world.[17] 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.[16]