A very brief visit to Los Angeles earlier this year (and
my first ever visit to the Pacific coast) saw me taking an early morning stroll
in the center of that concrete city.
Unlike many cities the “downtown” area of LA did not inspire me one
brick, and weaving my way between robotic city workers clutching their coffees
and wending their way to the offices, I sought out the nearby Roman Catholic
cathedral in the hope that I would find it interesting.
The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels was dedicated in
2002. The previous 1786 mother church of
St Vibiana (virgin & martyr 3rd century) had been condemned
after earthquake damage in the mid 1990s and the Archdiocese move swiftly to
put alternate (and safer) plans in place.
From the outside the new building has the charm and sophistication of a
nuclear power plant, but let that not detract the visitor from entering. The interior, minimalist on first encounter,
reflects a spirituality and history that far surpass the newness of it all. And
the modern tapestry hangings are worth a look. These things, coupled with a
magnificent organ (which was playing at full volume at 8:00 that morning!) made
for a rather grand post-breakfast experience.
But it was at the rear of one of the side aisles that I
found my “gem.” A 17th
century reredos carved from black walnut and gilded in places. At least it was what I would term a reredos,
but the history booklet corrected me. It
was a “retablo” after the Spanish
word for “retabl.” A shelf raised above the back of an altar to
hold icons and ornaments and carved with traditional Christian imagery. So a reredos then.
This piece has a fascinating history. Its provenance can be traced to 1687 and a
parish church in Ezcaray, Spain, but experts believe that its craftsmanship actually
dates from the beginning of the 17th century. Ezcaray was a very poor village in the Basque
region and after the church fell into disrepair it was decided to sell the retablo to a New York collector to raise
money for rebuilding. It found its way
to Los Angeles where it languished in a storeroom for a few years. Eventually it was installed in the Roman Catholic
Queen of Angels Seminary. That college
closed its doors in 1995 (the year after an even greater theological centre closed
down in Salisbury, England) and the retablo
waited in the empty building for the new cathedral to be completed.
It stands over twenty feet tall and twenty-five feet wide
and depicts a crucifix surrounded by images of the saints. The Mother and Child look down from the top
which is supported by four twisted walnut columns. These in turn are surrounded by clusters of
grapes that have clear Eucharistic meaning.
It’s a gorgeous piece, but my two complaints are that it
is not in a very prominent position within the cathedral, and it is poorly
lit. Other than that it is worth an
early morning visit. Or any time of day
for that matter. Just hope that the organ is playing...
