Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Catholic cathedral in Downtown Los Angeles, United States
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels is a Catholic cathedral in downtown Los Angeles, built with angular concrete walls and a modern design that breaks away from older church traditions. The light-brown concrete exterior is interrupted by narrow windows made of alabaster that filter sunlight into the worship hall.
After the Northridge earthquake in 1994 damaged the old Saint Vibiana Cathedral, the archdiocese decided to build a new main church on a different site. The new building opened in September 2002, replacing the former 19th-century cathedral.
The building displays woven panels showing more than a hundred holy figures from around the world, together representing the many communities of the city. Walking through the interior, visitors see how different traditions share a common place of worship.
The cathedral holds daily services and offers guided walks around the grounds and through the attached mausoleum complex. Visitors can walk freely through public areas but should respect worshipers during Mass times.
The organ combines pipes from the earlier Saint Vibiana Cathedral with new elements and ranks among the largest church instruments on the West Coast. Some parts of the old organ were built in 1929 and still sound inside the new building.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
