Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels is on a lot of LA must do lists so I thought I'd go see what all the hype was about.  I usually pass it on the 101 but never realized what it actually was.   The visit was inspiring and spiritual however even if you're not religious from an architectural point of view alone it is worth seeing.  It is called one of the most innovative buildings in LA.  The building is not what you would typically think of as a cathedral or religious place of worship.

It was dedicated and opened in 2002 so its fairly new and the 3rd largest cathedral in the country.  At 65,000 square feet, 11 stories and 151 million pounds, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels is a massive structure built to last 500 years.  So much care was taken in every detail of the cathedral.  From the materials used to the placement of art, everything has a purpose and that's what makes it so fascinating.  The interior is modern, simple, and elegant.  My favorite part of the cathedral is the Crypt Mausoleum which can house 6,000 sepulchral and cinerary urn spaces for interments in the lower level.  Most of the spaces are empty and anyone can purchase space there.  In fact, our tour guide already has his space picked out with his name engraved, which was pretty cool.

The Cathedral is open everyday with mass M-F at 7 and noon.  Sunday there are three masses at 8, 10, and 12:30 (Espanol). The tours are M-F at 1, lasts for an hour, and is totally free.