Verified Document

New Cathedral In Los Angeles The Cathedral Term Paper

¶ … New Cathedral in Los Angeles The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, otherwise known as the New Cathedral, in Los Angeles, has been heralded as one of the most significant buildings in the city. This structure marked the first time in more than three decades that a cathedral of such massive proportions had been built in America. Madrid-based architect Jose Rafael Moneo was commissioned to design the cathedral in 1996. Construction began two years later, and was completed in 2002. The following analysis will address the architectural influences of the New Cathedral, examining how it relates to other churches. Additionally, the many factors that shaped the architect's vision will be considered.

The massive Roman Catholic structure is positioned on top of the highest hill in downtown Los Angeles, and next to one of the nation's busiest freeways. The cathedral was designed to have broad public appeal, taking into consideration differences relative to religion, culture and ethnicity. This strategy was borne from a nationwide architectural sentiment, reflected in the design of public structures across the country, to provide a greater sense of communal investment (Wood, 12-13).

The challenge in designing the new Cathedral was to ensure that it reflected the diversity of all people. Instead of reiterating traditional designs of the Middle Ages...

Moneo attempted to marry the concepts of sanctity and community, without compromising either. His design for the Cathedral offers somewhat of a spiritual filter, which lifts people above the chaos of the street and heals the soul. While Moneo's design is clearly abstract, it also echoes Roman Catholic tradition by arranging a cathedral, parish center, the cardinal's residence, bell tower and contemplative garden around an expansive plaza. The cathedral is an enormous, unadorned, modernist concrete shell. The building is spiritually compelling in part because of the starkness of its design (Ouroussoff, 63-65).
It has been a longstanding custom to design Roman Catholic churches in the abstract, to symbolize divine purity. For instance, the geometry of Alberti's Renaissance churches reflects a conviction in the mechanical order of God's universe. Moneo was influenced by this tradition in his design of the New Cathedral (Wood, 14).

Moneo manipulated the design of the structure to enhance the spiritual experience of visitors. Architecturally, shadow and light are used to mirror the impact apparent in the great gothic cathedrals. But, rather than pepper the cathedral with obvious gestures, he offers subtle views between the chapels to the main nave.…

Sources used in this document:
Bibliography

Our Lady of the Angels Official Website. http://www.olacathedral.org/.

Ouroussoff, Nicolai. "A Modern Sanctuary."LaTimes 23 September 1997.

Rutten, Tim. "A Shared Devotion to the New Cathedral." LATimes 29 November 2001.

Wood, Daniel B. "Cathedral reflects a new vision of church." The Christian Science Monitor 9 Sept. 2002.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles
Words: 612 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Biltmore Hotel The Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel was built during 1921-1923, costing ten million dollars to build. It was built by architects Schultze and Weaver, who were responsible for creating New York's Waldorf Astoria and the Park Lane Hotels. This particular hotel was designed to eclipse all other hotels in Los Angeles. The architecture was modeled after an architecture style that was popular in New York during this time; it

Tree of Life and Midnight
Words: 5004 Length: 15 Document Type: Term Paper

As he himself admits, "I have a very grim perspective. I do feel that it's a grim, painful, nightmarish meaningless existence, and the only way to be happy is if you tell yourself some lies. One must have some delusions to live" ("Cannes 2010: Woody Allen on Death -- 'I'm Strongly Against It'"). What Midnight in Paris is for him (and us), therefore, is a kind of distraction from

Italian Renaissance Was the Beginning
Words: 2689 Length: 9 Document Type: Term Paper

The landscape diffuses in colors to give optical illusion of perspective and farness. The first figures, of the two children are softly modeled in lights and shades. The light is bright and clear and it seems to have no specific direction. Although Renaissance had great preoccupation with the study of light and the use of it to give volume, there will pass a longer time before artists would really use the

The Importance of Forgiveness and Prayer
Words: 975 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

My New Church ExperienceI recently visited a Christian church located in downtown Los Angeles, California, named Saint Sophia Cathedral. It is a Greek Orthodox Church. The architecture of the building was grand and imposing, with a vaulted ceiling and stained-glass windows depicting biblical scenes. As I approached the Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral, located at 1324 South Normandie Avenue in Los Angeles, I was immediately struck by its impressive size

History and Development of Master Builder and Design Build Tradition...
Words: 6891 Length: 24 Document Type: Literature Review

Architecture through the Ages Mesopotamia Construction in ancient times is second only to agriculture-it reaches back as far as the Stone Age and possibly further (Jackson 4). Before the existence of master builders in design and construction the Code of Hammurabi (1795-1750 B.C.) referred to design and construction as a simple process (Beard, Loulakis and Wundrum (13). Hammurabi was the ruler of Babylon, the world's first metropolis and he codified his

Macabre Marketing: Forest Lawn Macabre Marketing Forest
Words: 880 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Macabre Marketing: Forest Lawn Macabre Marketing Forest Lawn and the entrance of 'dark tourism' in Los Angeles "Crypt For Sale: overlooking ocean by private owner" reads the ad. A classified post in the sea of advertising in the Megalopolis of Los Angeles, the mortuary market is significant in terms of combining funerary services with the delicacies of celebrity thanatourism. It is an underestimate to argue that Southern California's cemetery real estate is at

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now