CATHEDRAL MAUSOLEUM

Journey Journal... Los Angeles, California

ELYGIAN GLITZ and GLAMOUR 

“Look beneath the surface; 

let not the several quality of a thing nor its worth escape thee.” 

                                                                                                         ~ Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

In the heart of the bustling Los Angeles metropolis there’s a brick and mortar necropolis.  Unlike mausoleum edifices that rise heavenward as structures above the earth’s surface, this version of a graveyard is sequestered in lower level territory that diverts magnificently from the usual subterranean sphere of burial spaces.  Rather, its arena of bygone earthly inhabitants lies within the basement bowels of an extraordinary cathedral.  

The massive and elaborate Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels that made its debut in 2002 is a testament to human collaboration and achievement.  Its building is uniquely configured with acute and obtuse angles, rather than right angles.  

Photo Source:  www.Panache.Voyage... Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

A team of construction and design experts spent a year researching strategies to ensure integrity and durability, addressing concrete formulas, configurations, placements, and curing processes.  Mock-up testing with attention to potential environmental stressors was a part of their investigations.  

The fact that the site for this monumental undertaking was atop the Elysian Park Fault posed an immediate challenge.  In the event of an earthquake, the threat of severe ground motion, predicted to be up to 7.0 magnitude, had to be countered.  Because of the application of technically advanced methodology rendering exceptional durability, the entire building can move about twenty-seven inches in either direction during earthquakes, thereby conferring potential to serve as an emergency shelter.  A freestanding bell tower that’s one hundred and sixty feet high also is seismically secured.   

Such meticulous preventative diligence was motivated by historical trauma.  The building project was undertaken to replace the smaller Cathedral of Saint Vibiana, which had been compromised by a series of earthquakes through the years and then severely damaged as a result of the 1994 Northridge quake.  

The 195,000 square-foot showpiece of more recent origin is the third largest cathedral in the world and the first Catholic cathedral built in the United States in over thirty years.  It is the flagship church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, encompassing two hundred and seventy-five parishes, and is the seat of its archbishop.  Imbued with diversity of its constituents, Sunday Mass purportedly is conducted in forty-two languages.  

Alabaster surfaces and effusive rays from a large window above the altar contrast ethereally with the dark appointments characteristic of older churches.  Pendant lighting bespeaks modern design.  Yet many of the relics from the original Saint Vibiana Cathedral were melded into interior spaces, including a refurbished organ.  

Photo Source:  Wikipedia - Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

Beneath the altar of the luminous sanctuary that seats three thousand parishioners are the gleaming quarters for those who are no longer active congregants.  Stairs lead down to the resplendent mausoleum – one of the largest cathedral burial vaults in the world, with close to thirteen hundred crypts and nearly five thousand niches.  Ordinarily, one would not blink an eye upon encountering a church crypt, so common through the ages, but this one commands rapt attention.  It is a showpiece of palpable beauty.  

Besides being dazzled by the shiny essence of the limestone crypt and niche facades, visitors are apt to be enraptured by the colors and designs of stained glass windows, etchings, sculptures, and their inscriptions.  

Photo Source:  Catholic Cemeteries... Our Lady of Angels Mausoleum

Photo Source:  Wikipedia Commons... LA Cathedral Mausoleum Annunciation.jpg

Exquisite works of sacred art are on display as adornments.

Photo Source:  Catholic Cemeteries... Our Lady of Angels Mausoleum

The remains of former bourgeois Catholic devotees aren’t necessarily resting in peace here in this prestigious milieu.  These “Elysian fields” of concrete and stone were made available, at least initially, primarily to individuals who had been financial benefactors or relevantly connected in positions of significance. The remains of five California bishops, originally interred elsewhere, were moved here and have been accompanied by those of other bishops and archbishops of Los Angeles. Anyone who made a substantial donation to the building fund could be considered as a candidate.  Celebrity status undoubtedly enhances prospects as well.

A decision to honor requests for entombment or inurnment in these elegant quarters is dictated by the archbishop.  A decedent need not have been a practicing Catholic follower; being married to a Catholic individual or coming from a Catholic family is acceptable. However, the price for “residency” is high.  The most exorbitantly priced spots are within one of six semi-private chapels, in four crypts in a sarcophagus directly under the altar, or near the twenty-six stained glass windows and lunettes relocated there from the original cathedral.  Revenue from all sales is appropriated for an endowment fund to maintain the cathedral property.  

The massive mausoleum is but one feature of this multi-purpose hub.  On the grounds of the core building there is a public plaza covering two and a half acres that's used for liturgical, cultural, and civic events.  It is embellished with captivating attractions, including works of art and water features.   

A landscape of children's attractions invites play.

There is also a conference center, clerical residence, and three-level underground parking garage for six hundred cars.  A gift shop and cafeteria render the site all the more welcoming.  

 

This showpiece that’s conspicuously located adjacent to a nearby freeway has been designed and constructed as a permanent fixture for hundreds of years to come.  Here, centrally posed amid the commotion in the second-largest city of the United States, known as the "City of Angels," opportunities beckon both the living and the dead. 

REFERENCES and RESOURCES

Wikipedia: "Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels"

LA Times: "Crypts That Keep On Giving"

PCA - America's Cement Manufacturers: 

"Concrete Architecture to Service More Than 4 Million Catholics"

Panache.Voyage: "Cathedral Of Our Lady Of Angeles

Landmark of postmodern architecture

Catholic Cemeteries: Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels Mausoleum

Variety of Wikipedia Commons Photos: Mausoleum's Stained Glass Windows

Quotation
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ATYPICAL NICHE DESIGN

JOURNEY JOURNAL... Sorrento Valley (San Diego), California

UNITED THEY STAND

Many things are aggregates composed of elements, parts grouped together to form wholes.  Separately, the individual components might not be so functional, aesthetically appealing, or impressive, but integrated with others to form a composite they may become strategic aspects of a magnificent ensemble, possibly even a masterpiece. For instance, think of a bouquet or handmade quilt!

“It's the sum of the parts that make up the whole, so in my opinion excellence comes from how one undertakes to do something. 
It all begins with the thought process - which is creative and exalted to produce something out of the ordinary.”

                                                                                                                  ~ Pankaj Patel 

Indeed, “out of the ordinary” characterizes the Narro-Niche columbarium permutation conceived and designed by the Conrad Pickel Studio.  The slim, yet full-capacity bronze urns that comprise the inclusive composition are box-like in shape and covered by a three-quarter-inch slab of solid marble or granite.  A mosaic design, dubbed a “Mosaicfront” by the originators, may be applied as an exterior embellishment.  The design on the front of niche unit is a cardinal element of the larger depiction.

Besides aesthetic appreciation, practicality underlies the conceptual rationale for this, as indoor or outdoor walls and corridors ordinarily unsuitable for niche installations can be utilized, requiring only five and a half inches of depth.  A joined assemblage of niche compartments can be applied directly against an established surface without the need to forge a recessed indentation.    

Beyond utility, though, is the potential for a vividly captivating illustration created by visionary artists.  That is, by nature of a coordinate frontal design, a single niche is like a piece in a jigsaw puzzle… a necessary component that’s pivotal to the larger image layout.  Without it, the picture on the wall would not be complete.  It is an essential part of the whole. Crafters use Venetian glass smalti to create the decorative wall panels.  The mosaic fronts are framed in bronze using conventional mounting systems.    

The El Camino Memorial Park in the San Diego area draws visitors aiming to see the gravesites of notable individuals, such as Jonas Salk (founder of the polio vaccine and the Salk Institute) and Ray Kroc (founding partner of McDonalds and owner of the Padres baseball team).  But straying from the usual tourist pathways can lead a visitor to the site of a Narro-Niche installation.  

Here, the structure and its mosaic portrait stand out against a blank mausoleum wall.

The site is embellished with plants, cenotaphs, and other stone structures.

Nameplates are positioned above individual niches. 

From the vantage of a side view, an unknowing observer might not realize that a collection of urns is behind the decorative panorama.

The only building in this image appears on the frontal facade of a single urn.  

This creation is but one of many stained and faceted glass windows, mosaics, and sculptures for religious and secular buildings that are produced by the Pickel Studio artists. Niche and crypt facades are only part of their focus. The enterprise was founded by the late Conrad Pickel, a world-renowned stained glass artisan as well as a sculptor and painter.  Since his death the company has been managed by his son, Paul.  

Professional artists on staff specialize in various aspects of design and installation while developing new techniques and applications.  

Photo Source:  Pickel Studios

Their work is featured in churches, cathedrals, and cemeteries around the country.  Among their showpieces are the faceted glass windows at Michigan Memorial Park’s Shrine of Remembrance Mausoleum (photos via link below).

At the Resurrection Cemetery in Justice, Illinois (Chicago area), two stories of magnificent glasswork enclosing a mausoleum purportedly form the largest stained glass window in the world.  Huge stained glass depictions of Bible narratives and more can be viewed by walking clockwise around the second and third floors of the building.

Photo Source:  Flicker by Robert Powers 
(more photos in blog reference)

The company’s Narro-Niche innovation, though of diminished proportions in contrast to their other productions, affords a balm of soothing representations, nonetheless.  “Good things come in small packages,” or in the case of cremated remains, go in small packages… and, at the hands of Pickel Studio creators, sometimes in narrow ones.  The packaging here invariably amounts to inspirational works of art.  Whether the projects are undersized or massive, their resplendent renderings reflect the words of an exemplary figure with an artistic eye who said, “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together”                                                                                                                        (Vincent Van Gogh).  

Conrad Pickel Studio Website

Resurrection Mausoleum

  

Shrine of Remembrance Mausoleum

Pickel Studios Gallery of Cemetery Projects

Blog: A Chicago Sojourn

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CHURCH COLUMBARIUM

JOURNEY JOURNAL... Poway, California

HEIGHTENED ACCESSIBILITY

For hundreds of years, columbaria have been located inside churches, on their properties, or on the grounds of cemeteries they own.  Nowadays, they have become all the more prolific as cremation rates have increased and people seek meaningful places for final disposition of cremated remains.  

Though contemporary styles abound, the notion of columbaria connected to religious sites is far from new.  Since ancient eras of Buddhism, for instance, cremated remains have been placed in urns sheltered within columbaria – sometimes as part of Buddhist temples.  During more recent times, the Catholic Church has joined the legion of religions where they have materialized.  Since 1963, the Vatican has permitted cremation as a practical alternative to bodily burial... as long as reverence and respect for the physical substance of a deceased individual is maintained according to mandates.  Scattering cremated remains or retaining them at home are not allowed, but columbarium niches are acceptable.  

These days, parishioners from the gamut of sects see the value of having columbaria within their immediate church environments.  Years ago, churchgoers were routinely buried in plots adjacent to church edifices, so the current trend toward columbarium construction somewhat mirrors that historical practice.  Accessibility, affordability, and relevance in accord with religious dogmas are factors that support desirability.  This type of station can be incorporated into existing dimensions or built as separate entities on small parcels of land.  

Diversity of modern architectural designs makes it possible to embed niches in walls, around statues, and against windows, or configure as separate units within established buildings.  Outdoors, exterior walls or garden settings may be utilized for such projects, with all kinds of options for design elements and supplemental appointments.      

California’s oft-undulating terrain can afford diversionary settings for this manner of final resting in peace.  Since 1993, an elevated section on the property of St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church has served that purpose.  

Everyone is familiar with the metaphorical concept of a climb to heaven after death.  Reference is made to an upward trajectory, often via a stairway to heaven that accommodates the process of ascension.  

In this case, though, anyone who wants to commune with spirits of deceased life companions in close proximity to their physical residuals must, likewise, do a bit of ascending.  Actually, as one courses upward by way of a long ramp with incremental turns at acute angles, there is a tantalizing tendency to note the metaphorical significance of the layout.  It’s not often that a cement trail of this nature sends one’s mind into orbit, endowing a pathway with figurative meaning that incites denotation.  Access to this church’s columbarium is different than the norm, rendering an added ethereal element of interest to the complex at the top of the hill.  

The Susan S. Cashmore Memorial Columbarium, made possible through the donation of a former church member's family, is described as a Christian burial site for urns.  Five hundred wall niches within several structures can accommodate cremated remains of either one or two individuals.  

Garden plots for burial of urns are available as well.  

Protruding platforms at the base of the structures entreat placement of memorial flowers and potted plants.

Clergy are available to conduct committal services or commemorative proceedings here.  

The enveloping configuration of successive identical formations and the opposite wall of niches comprise a space suggestive of seclusion.  Benches inviting repose under the shade of a tree defy intrusion of sights and sounds from the life going on at street level below.  It is a place of quietude… a place of peaceful rest.  

Exploration on premises of religious organizations around the country is apt to reveal a surprising number of columbaria on their respective properties.  Though, typically, a niche is a niche is a niche, the settings in which these cookie-cutter compartments are integrated can leave lasting impressions of novel distinctions.  A stroll to the heights of a heavenly haven may be all that it takes to come to that conclusion.  

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CREMATION GARDEN... Winter Park, FL

Journey Journal… Winter Park, FL

MUTATION in ELYSIAN FIELDS

Anyone who has not been to any cemeteries in recent years might be surprised by the modern imprints that now beautify them.  In many cases, landscape architects haven’t left a stone unturned, so to speak.  Cremation gardens, in particular, are contemporary features of recent origin on burial properties and, at certain ones, they are exquisite masterpieces of design.  

The concept of these attractive havens has been grasped by cemetery owners who recognize their desirability.  As the rate of cremation escalates, so does the development of this type of amenity on burial grounds throughout the country.  The economic forecast for a return on such an investment is favorable.  In contrast to substantial acreage required for whole body interments, the space allocated as quarters for many units of cremated remains can be confined to a smaller area.  The sales potential is great due to the significant number of remains that can be accommodated within a delineated area.  Maintenance costs are lower.  And opportunities for stylistic innovations are refreshing in contrast to predictable patterns of commonplace cemetery layouts.  

Sometimes a cremation garden suggests a sense of sanctuary in an area that feels segregated from the rest of the grounds, if not geographically, at least visually.  Foliage accentuates the effect. The Glen Haven Memorial Park harbors one that implies that sort of retreat.  

Its entrance pathways surround a fountain, refreshing to body and mind under the searing Florida sun.

A stroll along groomed walkways reveals an eclectic mix of stone memorials.  Some of the conventional ones are modest and generically basic.

Other memorial structures are distinctly unique and exceptional.

Cremation bench monuments summon an impression of meditative repose.  Such configurations are constructed with single or multiple inner chambers to hold cremated remains of an individual or several family members. They may be straight or curved, with or without arms and backs.  

Symbols reminiscent of the person who died may be prominent elements of style.

For decedents who had been multi-taskers, perhaps memorial signets that serve a dual purpose are especially apropos.  Granite birdbaths invite enlivening activity.

Sundials on pillars with chambers that contain cremated remains capture a natural way to avoid losing track of time… perhaps even alluding to the preciousness of it!    

Often a cremation mecca such as this one features niche walls or community columbaria on the premises.  

It is common, also, to encounter a contemporary version of a cenotaph.  The bronze plaques on this community memorial bear the names of people whose remains were buried or scattered elsewhere – sometimes in another area within the garden.    

In an arena of sectioned “family estates” there is room for multiple burials of related remains.

The expansive allotments offer opportunities for unconfined creativity.  You never know when a visitor might want to pause for a picnic or a game of chess!

Perhaps the most commanding component of this picturesque “Tranquility Oaks” cremation garden is the tranquility of its pond and waterfalls enveloped in lush foliage.  

Amid soothing bird songs, sun-drenched lily pads, and gentle ripples, it is an oasis of serenity that bespeaks the nature of death.  

Glen Haven Memorial Park

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A BROOKLYN CEMETERY'S ATTRACTIONS

JOURNEY JOURNAL... Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn, New York

SANCTUARIES for NESTING and RESTING

One might not expect to find the gates of heaven in Brooklyn.  An urban milieu tends to be fairly predictable. Yet the sighting of a monumental, imposing structure at the entrance to Green-Wood Cemetery prompts a convincing illusion of having arrived at the threshold of the Promised Land.  Two larger-than-life portals girded by a Gothic edifice suggestive of a storybook fantasyland define its passageway onto the burial grounds.

A visitor might look heavenward, expecting to see white doves fluttering stereotypically above this ethereal envisage.  Instead, monk parakeets (aka Quaker parrots) go about their business, screeching and procreating amid the tall spires they have inhabited for many years.  This bird species that hails from Argentina purportedly has populated New York City environs for a few decades. They are the only parrots known to construct twig nests. 

from brooklynparrots.com, by Jud Newborn, 2009

http://www.brooklynparrots.com/2009_04_01_archive.html

According to a New York Times blog article, “Greenwood Cemetery hosts one of the largest colonies in the city. The interwoven mass of twigs and birds turns the cemetery’s gothic main gate into a living sculpture.” 

Perhaps the bird’s assigned name contributes a priestly influence that’s relevant in this particular setting.  The monk parrot’s twelve-inch-long, green body with blue wing tips is capped by a patch of gray on its head that resembles a monk’s cap. 

from 10000birds.com, "Monk Parakeets At Greenwood Cemetery,"

Brooklyn, NY, Jan, 26, 2009, by Carey

http://10000birds.com/monk-parakeets-at-greenwood-cemetery-brooklyn-ny.htm

Having been designated as a National Historic Landmark in 2006, the cemetery draws throngs of visitors for myriad purposes, including bird watching.

Just beyond the Gothic entrance is a crematorium of modern vintage. Adjacent to it there are accommodations for cultural practices in the midst of stunning columbarium structures.

As if grills on the grounds of a public park, joss paper burners for symbolic burning rites conveniently occupy the landscape.  These hallmarks of traditional Chinese and Vietnamese funeral proceedings reflect the multiculturalism of this metropolitan milieu.  Typically white to symbolize mourning, joss paper (aka spirit money or ghost money) accented with foil, as well as papier-mâché replicas of everyday items, are burned to assure prosperity for decedents in the afterlife.

                                        

                         

The Tranquility Garden is an oasis of three modern columbarium pavilions amid water and other natural elements.     

Koi ponds, bamboo shoots, landscaped grasses, flowering cherry trees, and a ritual burner exemplify an Asian motif – chosen in recognition of the growing Chinese population nearby in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.  During the design phase a feng shui expert was consulted to assure conformance to acceptable placements.    

 

The atrium columbarium structures permit rays of sunshine to penetrate their interiors. 

Niche compartments are comprised of different materials, including transparent glass, opaque granite, and frosted glass.  A unique, dual-compartment version offers additional storage besides containment of an urn.  Dubbed a "memory box urn," its doors swing open for a family’s keyed access to a drawer where mementos can be collected. 

     

                                                                                                            from a Green-Wood Cemetery website

Not far beyond this complex of columbaria is the main chapel.  Its addition to the grounds in 1911 occurred long after the cemetery’s origination in 1838.  The design replicates the Tower of Christ Church College in Oxford, England.     

from BROWNSTONER:  Brooklyn inside and out blog

Building of the Day:  Chapel in Green-Wood Cemetery, by Montrose Morris

http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2013/10/building-of-the-day-chapel-in-green-wood-cemetery/

Someone commented that this small chapel impressively encompasses certain elements of a full-sized cathedral.

Lacking religious artifacts, the non-denominational facility bearing Gothic limestone was appointed with magnificent focal points as a backdrop for various functions.  Stained glass windows and a dome above a glowing chandelier lend color and beauty to all kinds of events.  

Besides funerals and memorial services, weddings, parties, concerts, lectures, other special affairs, and even film shoots are held here. 

So there are many reasons to explore this lively cemetery in Greenwood Heights. 

A subsequent visit to the venerable 478-acre property surely will require comfortable walking shoes… or maybe a trolley ride!

                        

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REFERENCES

Monk Parrots Find Freedom, Dec. 27, 2013, by Dave Taft

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/27/monk-parrots-find-freedom/?_r=0

Green-Wood Cemetery:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green-Wood_Cemetery

Tranquility Garden:  http://www.archtober.org/botd-greenwood/

by Tyler J. Kelley – a freelance journalist 

   

Chapel:  Old Long Island blog, posted by Zach L.

http://www.oldlongisland.com/2012/09/the-chapel-at-green-wood-cemetery.html

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