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Although I personally don't prefer that depiction of the Theotokos, I am offended by the comment of referring to it as "sci-fi butch".

Her hair is not cropped nor "butch", but braided in the back. If you were to see the statue from the side you can clearly see it.

Here is the description of the statue from the LA Cathedral website:


The ornamental space above the pair of bronze doors contains the 8 foot image of Our Lady of the Angels. The modern figure is presented as a woman "clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet" (Revelations 12:1). The halo shaft above her head shines God's light on her as the sun travels from east to west.

Mary does not wear the traditional veil. Her arms are bare, outstretched to welcome all. Her carriage is confident, and her hands are strong, the hands of a working woman. From the side can be seen a thick braid of hair down her back that summons thoughts of Native American or Latina women. Other characteristics, such as her eyes, lips and nose convey Asian, African and Caucasian features. Without the conventional regal trappings of jewels, crown or layers of clothing, she has a dignity that shines from within.

Originally, two bronzed angels were to be placed one on each side of Our Lady of the Angels. However, the first Spanish name for Los Angeles was El Pueblo de Nuestra Se�ora, Reina de los Angeles. Mary is Queen of Los Angeles, so the people in her city are her angels.

Please know your facts before criticizing.

That statue is ugly, ugly, ugly - and that's a fact. I have not been to the cathedral, but have seen pictures and videos of it. When I saw those for the first time, my initial reaction was along the lines of, "this building is a triumph of Calvinism." It is bare, austere and without a soul. However, the organ is spectacular, so I did find one thing good about the place.

Of course the press is always going to exploit Church news for its agenda driven anti Catholicism.
As a member of the Church don't fall into that same trap.
Stephanos I

It is fair to judge how she looks from the front because that is the viewing side. She is placed above the entrance to the cathedral. Besides having cropped hair (a feminine statue would have the braids come over the shoulders.) It looks like Mary has her eyes closed and that she is not smiling. That implies that she is meditating, which then links the images to the sixties or to a Zen/yoga type of meditation.

The sculpture is too abstract to depict its description. That's a problem with modern art. The artist expects the viewer to read the description before judging the work. If her hands are intended to be welcoming, then the fingers need to be more open.

When the conventions are tossed aside, it is more difficult to achieve the beautiful. Robert Graham, who created that piece, failed to create a beautiful statue. But what he did succeed at was creating an asexual and multiethnic depiction of Mary.

Of course I did not mean the poor nuns would be forced into pushing grocery carts in the back alleys of Southern California. I knew they would be taken care of. But their house is being taken away and the property is still being sold to offset the costs of clergy abuse lawsuits, so it is a loss for the community, as stated by the gentleman in the CNN video. Those are indeed the facts.

The explanation is only somewhat helpful. Clearly there is artistic beauty in some of this piece (the halo, the sun and the moon, for instance). But I think the sci-fi connections are only reinforced by the sheer, undeniable and fundamentally un-Christian iconoclastic sci-fi ugliness of the architecture of the building. Any underlying Christian cosmology is simply impossible to discern here. So pardon us if it is difficult to keep the artistic "facts" of this particular piece straight. Very little in this Cathedral is manifestly orthodox.

St. Vibiana was the Cathedral of L.A. but was not repaired from the 1994 earthquake by the Archdiocese, but someone did @ 6 million...

Here is a older pic...

http://www.usc.edu/libraries/archives/la/historic/vibiana_int45.jpeg

http://www.usc.edu/libraries/archives/la/historic/vibiana_altar40.jpeg

One's a church, and the other is the set for a Sci-Fi movie.

Cardinal Mahoney holds an amateur radio license. He is a "HAM" radio operator. His call sign is W6QYI. I believe he is still quit active and has a dipole (antenna) at his residence.

You can read more: QSO Card [geocities.com]

From Wikipedia...

The price for some cathedral furnishings have also caused great consternation. $5M was budgeted for the altar or "table" -- essentially a giant slab of Rosso Laguna marble. The main bronze doors cost $3M. $2M was budgeted for the wooden ambo (lectern.) $1M for a very controversial-looking tabernacle. $1M for the cathedra (bishop's chair.) $250K for the presider's chair. $250K for each deacon's chair. Visiting bishops' chairs cost $150K each, while pews cost an average of $50K each. The cantor's stand cost $100K while each bronze chandelier/speaker cost $150K

Hmmm...

james

The tapestries inside the Cathedral are nice.

The tabernacle is not.

And we are way off topic.

Oh goodness, the beauty!

I happen to agree with the good doctor here. I am just getting back from a full day of ministerial duties and I am quite disappointed at some of the comments here and in other threads. If you can not stay on topic, don't post. The beauty and art in the LA Cathedral has nothing to do with the subject of this thread. If nothing can be said about the topic in the initial post, then it is time to close it.

In IC XC,
Father Anthony+
Administrator

With much respect Fr. Anthony, but the cost of the new Cathedral ($189,000,000.00) has much to do with the scandal pay outs in my eyes and wallet.

I really get upset with the way things are in the Archdiocese here and I bust a seam once in a while.

Switching to quiet mode...

james

A cost-beauty analysis would fail.