Comments on: SOM’s Stunning Cathedral of Christ the Light

By: 518 East 80

518 East 80 — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:06:29 +0000

I wanted to add that the Cathedral is devoid of color, bleak and chilly. It would be a perfect gathering space for the U.N. General Assembly. Obviously, no traditional Catholic architects at SOM. Hartman missed the liturgical, eucharistic point altogether by creating a space with no focus. It is, rather, a community gathering spot, where everyone in the seating circle focuses on the people across the way. Wrong, wrong.

Vigneron must have been complicit in this extremely expensive design mistake. He should have redone St. Frances de Sales for $9 million, instead of this place for $190 million.

By: 518 East 80

518 East 80 — Wed, 06 May 2009 21:15:47 +0000

It’s a disaster, it’s not Catholic, and it will be considered the last Catholic cathedral of the 20th century. The idea that community is the PRIMARY purpose of a Catholic cathedral is dead wrong, and contradicts the Church’s guidelines for the construction of new churches. Christ the Light is like evey other ill-considered, “modern,” ugly, dinner theatre, church in the round built in the last 50 years, causing the celebrant to have a hand-held microphone and twirl around like a game-show host. I think the trend is finally ending (see Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Houston) although it will take decades to completely die out.

By: sieunmonica

sieunmonica — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:15:15 +0000

I wish I will design cathedral or small chapel someday.. this looks awesome~

By: Geolio

Geolio — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:06:46 +0000

Some additional photos for Curious minds.

http://picasaweb.google.com/georgexlin/CathedralOfChristTheLight#

Enjoy

By: Geolio

Geolio — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 03:29:59 +0000

Excited to see it tomorrow when my office gets to tour it. My office is in the building across the street from it and I saw every beam go up. Amazing piece of architecture. With this much $$ poured into it, I would be disappointed if it was any less spectacular. I hope the interior is just as good.

By: NaturallyEarth

NaturallyEarth — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 00:41:39 +0000

I love the new green architecture coming out. It’s so beautiful it doesn’t even need stained glass. I wonder how many churches will be re-doing their chapels.

By: MulderDSM

MulderDSM — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 22:04:45 +0000

This is an amazing piece of architecture. I wrote a quick blurb about it on my site at:
http://www.livingdowntowndesmoines.com/2008/09/building-spotlight-first-united-methodist-church/trackback/

By: Jimmy Mac

Jimmy Mac — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 19:43:03 +0000

\”The site for the Catholic Cathedral is the location of the old St. Francis de Sales Cathedral, which was irreparably damaged by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.\”

Actually, not the case. The new Cathedral is located on the shores of Lake Merritt and about one half mile away from the old cathedral location.

By: cherylen

cherylen — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:14:28 +0000

I think that this structure is breathtaking. I don\’t find it at all gaudy. I think it is a monument to God. It might not be humble but neither are some earlier cathedrals which are now \”typical\” of Catholicism. I would rather see money go towards structures such as this than to bail out multi-billion dollar corporations from bankruptcy…

By: Tabitha

Tabitha — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:01:57 +0000

I can’t stop looking at this picture – it’s truly beautiful!
tabitha at http://www.fromsingletomarried.com

By: elstevedore

elstevedore — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:43:07 +0000

Some more pictures of the cathedral’s construction:

http://www.stephenloewinsohn.com/places/spaceegg/

Here in Oakland, we call it “The Space Egg”

By: jennyg

jennyg — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:17:40 +0000

I shudder to think of all the people that could benefit from all the millions of dollars WASTED on this monstrosity.
Absolutely disgusting – gaudy – depressing…
Oh Catholicism… will you ever learn? HUMBLE … be humble. THAT is following in the ways of your lord. Being humble..NOT erecting churches and cathedrals with money that could easily feed starving children – not only around the world – but in OAKLAND! Or maybe put some struggling families in Oakland in decent housing?

By: Dilberth

Dilberth — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:54:04 +0000

Certainly this is one of the greatest monuments to insanity. Among the myths of history, Christianity prevails as the most cherished form of delusional behavior. Thor and Mithra: Get over it.

By: Bridgette Steffen

Bridgette Steffen — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:37:10 +0000

The cathedral can hold up to 1350 people for a service. Other interesting facts:
- 60,750 tons of concrete poured
- 768 Douglas Fir horizontal louvers
- 36 friction pendulum double-concave base isolators in which the entire Cathedral rests. These protect the Cathedral against earthquakes.
- 1,300 crypts the cathedral mausoleum will hold

By: maswik

maswik — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:21:52 +0000

What is the capacity and how does that compare to the size of the congregation (on an ordiary Sunday and on a High day)? From the pictures it does not look that big.

It looks great sculpturally but I\\\’m not sure about religion in the round. It will give some unusual views of the priests during mass.