Crystal Cathedral, Glass cathedral in Garden Grove, US.
Christ Cathedral is a Catholic church in Garden Grove, California, and the seat of the Diocese of Orange. The building is enclosed by 10,000 rectangular glass panes that are reflective on the outside and transparent on the inside, attached to the framework with silicone-based glue to mitigate earthquake damage. It measures 415 feet long by 215 feet wide, stands 128 feet high, and is topped by a beacon for aircraft.
Architect Philip Johnson designed the building in 1977 for a Protestant congregation that opened it three years later and used it as a television church. In 2012 the Catholic Diocese of Orange acquired the church and renamed it to use as their new cathedral.
The earlier name refers to the glass façade that appears like crystal and gives the building its transparent look. Visitors today notice how light streams through the many panes and brightens the interior while services and events take place.
The church sits in an urban area southeast of Los Angeles and is surrounded by major roads accessible by car or public transit. Visitors should note that this is an active place of worship with regular Mass schedules, so touring outside service times is advisable.
The Hazel Wright Organ combines the Aeolian-Skinner organ built in 1962 for New York's Philharmonic Hall with a smaller Ruffatti instrument from the original Garden Grove church. It has 273 ranks and five manuals. The diocese dismantled it in 2013 and sent it to Fratelli Ruffatti in Padua for a $2 million rebuild; it was repainted white so it would not distract from the altar and reinstalled in early 2020.
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