About a week ago I spent a Saturday with some friends down in LA, enjoying the sun, puttering through an extraordinary diversity of people, food, sights, smells (some more interesting than others), and cultures. It was also a test of the public transit in a city notorious for its cars; I have to say I was impressed in that particular regard. I have not been to a city of comparable size where public transit was so cheap, clean, and devoid of crazy people (the last an especially notable feat given the area).
The pictures have been slow to get to blog due to the volume… and since I took so many, they will be arriving on the site in stages. Stage 1: the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. An archdiocese of over 4 million Catholics is bound to have a notable epicenter of faith, and OLA is certainly a masterpiece of spiritual architecture, blending a contemporary style with a decidedly southwestern look to create a monument that strives to project the weight of spiritual tradition onto a modern west-coast megapolis. Sunday Mass is celebrated in 42 languages, a testament to the diverse cross-section of people it draws from the surrounding population.
The main courtyard is open and specious, sporting patio tables and skirted by palm trees and fountains. This entrance is adorned nicely with gold and black.
A cross is embedded in black marble, which provides an angular accent to the mainly sandstone-looking structure.
The main part of the cathedral is huge; the pews looks as if they could easily accommodate thousands. The enormity of the room, coupled with the emptiness of a Saturday late morning, made each footstep echo solemnly in the warm half-light.
An enormous pipe organ rests in an upper corner.
Looking up into a giant cross bathed in streaming light from the outside, it’s hard not to feel a bit of awe.
Underneath the main pews lies a mausoleum, decorated with stained glass on otherwise simple white marble… a walk through is a must if you visit.
(Downtown, get off Metro Red Line at Civic Center.)
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