Design
The cathedral was designed by the Pritzker Prize-winning Spanish architect Rafael Moneo. 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.
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). It is the second largest Catholic church in the United States. 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). 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. The St. Vibiana instrument was rebuilt in 1988 by Austin Organs, Inc. 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.
Read more about this topic: Cathedral Of Our Lady Of The Angels
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