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The Catholic Cathedral Corporation of the East Bay instituted a design competition for Christ the Light. Various designs were judged and the corporation announced Santiago Calatrava, of Valencia, Spain, Valencia, Spain as the winner. He designed the post–September 11 World Trade Center (2001-present), World Trade Center Port Authority Trans-Hudson station in [ ew York City. Calatrava's design for The Cathedral of Christ the Light was chosen before a site was appropriated for the project.
By the time a site was chosen, a parking lot formerly dedicated to the construction of the tallest building in Oakland, Calatrava's design fell out of favor and was instead replaced by a design of competition runner-up Craig W. Hartman of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill offices in San Francisco.
Hartman, designer of the international terminal at
Designed by a Survivors' Group in collaboration with the Oakland Diocese and famed architect Dr. Aryan Sarkar, the garden features a
Orgues Létourneau Limitée Organ Opus 118 was installed on both side of the Vesica. It has 92 ranks with 5298 pipes.
* Great Organ C-c4: Double Diapason 16', First Diapason 8', Second Diapason 8', Harmonic Flute 8', Salicional 8', Chimney Flute 8', Principal 4', Open Flute 4', Fifteenth 2', Mixture IV-V 2-2/3', Sharp Mixture III 1', Cornet III 2-2/3', Trumpet 8', Trompeta de luz 8', Tremulant
* Solo Organ C-c4: Doppel Flute 8', Viole d'Orchestre 8', Viole Celeste 8', Clarinet 8', English Horn 8' Tuba 8', Trompeta de luz 8', Tremulant
* Swell Organ C-c4: Gamba 16', Open Diapason 8', Gamba 8', Voix Celeste 8', Bourdon 8', Principal 4', Spire Flute 4', Nazard 2-2/3', Flageolet 2', Tierce 1-3/5', Mixture V 2', Double Trumpet 16', Trumpet 8', Hautboy 8', Clarion 4', Tremulant
* Choir Organ C-c4: Violonbass 16', Open Diapason 8', Violoncello 8', Cello Celeste 8', Spindle Flute 8', Principal 4', Fifteenth 2', Mixture IV-V 1-1/3', Fagotto 16', Trumpet 8', Clarion 4', Tremulant
* Bombarde Organ C-c4: Double Diapason 16’, Open Diapason 8’, Quint 5-1/3’, Principal 4’, Full Mixture V-VII 2-2/3’, Bombarde 16’, Trompette 8’, Clarion 4’, Trompeta de luz 8’
* Echo Choir Organ C-c4: Lieblich Gedackt 16', Principal 8', Chimney Flute 8', Dolce Flute 8', Flute Celeste 8', Traverse Flute 4', Piccolo 2', Larigot 1-1/3', Oboe 8', Vox Humana 8', Tremulant
* Pedal Organ C-g1: Contra Bourdon 32', Open Wood 16', Double Diapason 16', Bourdon 16', Subbass 16', Violonbass 16', Gamba 16', Lieblich Gedackt 16', Quint 10-2/3', Open Diapason 8', Bourdon 8', Violoncello 8', Gamba 8', Lieblich Gedackt 8', Quint 5-1/3', Principal 4', Nachthorn 4', Open Flute 2', Mixture V 2-2/3', Contra Trombone 32', Bombarde 16', Trombone 16', Fagotto 16', Trompette 8', Fagotto 8', Clairon 4', Schalmey 4', Trompeta de luz 8', Tremulant
The Catholic Cathedral Corporation of the East Bay was an outgrowth of a February 2000 meeting of representatives from parishes of the Diocese of Oakland. The summit reached consensus to proceed with the planning of a new cathedral. The newly incorporated Catholic Cathedral Corporation of the East Bay, a non-profit organization independent of the chancery of the Diocese of Oakland, began soliciting donations for its Cathedral Campaign.
Despite considerable support, the Cathedral Campaign gained critics concerned with its price tag for construction increasing from $131 million in 2003, when the design was chosen, to an estimated $190 million in 2007,USA Today: "Oakland cathedral sets high marks in cost, design"
September 1, 2007 to $175 million, reduced by cost-cutting measures in the final year.
September 7, 2009 Some questioned whether the money should not have been spent more appropriately elsewhere. Proponents countered that the Diocese of Oakland spends $350 million on social services and education annually while the $175 million cost of the cathedral would be spread over three years of construction and four years of design. They also noted that the cathedral was financed by donations solicited specifically for the project. Suggestions were made to use the donations for other projects instead, like those administered by the diocese to help the poor or to build new schools.National Catholic Register: "Space Age Cathedral"
November 4, 2008 Rev. Leo Edgerly Jr., who serves on the cathedral advisory board, replied to the critics: "You can go to Europe and see Gothic cathedrals," he said. "You can come to Oakland and see this."
Official Cathedral SiteRoman Catholic Diocese of Oakland Official Site
{{Authority control Cathedrals in Oakland, California Christ the Light, Cathedral of Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland Skidmore, Owings & Merrill buildings Tourist attractions in Oakland, California Roman Catholic churches completed in 2008
The Cathedral of Christ the Light, also called Oakland Cathedral, is the
The Cathedral of Christ the Light Complex, as a larger cathedral center, is composed of the cathedral church, the chancery office of the bishop's curia, a conference center, rectory (priests' residence), Order of Malta Northern California Health Clinic (which provides free diagnostic services to people without health insurance), and a
The Cathedral of Christ the Light was designed by
chose
/ref>_in_the_
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and Contra Costa County, California">Contra Costa.Parish Directorycathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...
of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland
The Diocese of Oakland ( la, Diœcesis Quercopolitana) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Northern California. The diocese comprises Alameda and Contra Costa Counties in the San Francisco Bay Area. Th ...
in Oakland
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...
, California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. It is the seat of the Bishop of Oakland. Christ the Light, the first cathedral built entirely in the 21st century, replaces the Cathedral of Saint Francis de Sales, irreparably damaged in the Loma Prieta earthquake
The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake occurred on California's Central Coast on October 17 at local time. The shock was centered in The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park in Santa Cruz County, approximately northeast of Santa Cruz on a section of t ...
of 1989."Cathedral In The News"The Cathedral of Christ the Light Complex, as a larger cathedral center, is composed of the cathedral church, the chancery office of the bishop's curia, a conference center, rectory (priests' residence), Order of Malta Northern California Health Clinic (which provides free diagnostic services to people without health insurance), and a
mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...
. The mausoleum features twelve crypts reserved for the bishops of Oakland and burial sites available to the members of the diocese for a comparable price to the other Catholic cemeteries in the diocese. The cathedral center also houses City Lights Cafe and the Cathedral Shop, as well as a public plaza and garden.Cathedral of Christ the LightThe Cathedral of Christ the Light was designed by
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
Craig W. Hartman Craig W. Hartman, FAIA, is an architect and Design Partner in Skidmore, Owings & Merrill's San Francisco, California, office. His most prominent work includes the Cathedral of Christ the Light for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland. It is the fi ...
, of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) is an American architectural, urban planning and engineering firm. It was founded in 1936 by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel A. Owings, Nathaniel Owings in Chicago, Illinois. In 1939, they were joined by engineer Jo ...
. The Catholic Cathedral Corporation of the East Bay, the incorporated owner of the cathedral,Webcor Builders – Current and Recent Projectschose
Webcor Builders
Webcor is a commercial construction contractor with headquarters in San Francisco, California. The firm also has regional offices in Alameda, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and Hawaii, and is among the largest builders in California with clien ...
as the general contractor
A general contractor, main contractor or prime contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and the communication of information to all involved parties throughout the course of ...
of cathedral construction.
Originally planned in 2000 under the direction of Bishop John Stephen Cummins and finally breaking ground on May 21, 2005, Christ the Light was consecrated and dedicated by Bishop Allen Henry Vigneron on September 25, 2008. On All Souls' Day
All Souls' Day, also called ''The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed'', is a day of prayer and remembrance for the faithful departed, observed by certain Christian denominations on 2 November. Through prayer, intercessions, alms and ...
November 2, the mausoleum was dedicated and the first Bishop of Oakland, Floyd Lawrence Begin
Floyd Lawrence Begin (February 5, 1902 – April 26, 1977) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Oakland in California from 1962 until his death in 1977. He previously served as an auxil ...
, was reburied in one of its crypts.
Located at 2121 Harrison Street in Oakland, the cathedral serves as the mother church
Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral or a metro ...
of approximately 530,000 CatholicsOakland_(Diocese)_[Catholic-Hierarchy]/ref>_in_the_
Oakland_(Diocese)_[Catholic-Hierarchy]
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An_alameda_is_a_Avenue_(landscape),_street_or_path_lined_with_trees_()_and_may_refer_to:
_Places_Canada
*Alameda,_Saskatchewan,_town_in_Saskatchewan
**Grant_Devine_Dam,_formerly_''Alameda_Dam'',_a_dam_and_reservoir_in_southern_Saskatchewan
_Chile
_...
_and_Contra_Costa_County,_California.html" ;"title="Alameda_County,_California.html" "title="County_(United_States).html" ;"title="atholic-Hierarchy]">Oakland (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy]/ref>_in_the_County_(United_States)">counties_of_ Oakland_(Diocese)_[Catholic-Hierarchy]
/ref>_in_the_County_(United_States)">counties_of_Alameda_County,_California">Alameda
/ref> in the County (United States)">counties of Alameda County, California">Alameda An alameda is a Avenue (landscape), street or path lined with trees () and may refer to: Places Canada *Alameda, Saskatchewan, town in Saskatchewan **Grant Devine Dam, formerly ''Alameda Dam'', a dam and reservoir in southern Saskatchewan Chile ...
Design
The Catholic Cathedral Corporation of the East Bay instituted a design competition for Christ the Light. Various designs were judged and the corporation announced Santiago Calatrava, of Valencia, Spain, Valencia, Spain as the winner. He designed the post–September 11 World Trade Center (2001-present), World Trade Center Port Authority Trans-Hudson station in [ ew York City. Calatrava's design for The Cathedral of Christ the Light was chosen before a site was appropriated for the project.
By the time a site was chosen, a parking lot formerly dedicated to the construction of the tallest building in Oakland, Calatrava's design fell out of favor and was instead replaced by a design of competition runner-up Craig W. Hartman of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill offices in San Francisco.
Hartman, designer of the international terminal at San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport is an international airport in an unincorporated area of San Mateo County, south of Downtown San Francisco. It has flights to points throughout North America and is a major gateway to Europe, the Middle E ...
, created a 20th-century abstract building from the family of styles developed by architects like Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe ( ; ; born Maria Ludwig Michael Mies; March 27, 1886August 17, 1969) was a German-American architect. He was commonly referred to as Mies, his surname. Along with Alvar Aalto, Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius and Frank Lloyd ...
, famous for creating steel shapes filled with glass. Hartman's vision for The Cathedral of Christ the Light was likened to the image of a bishop's mitre
The mitre (Commonwealth English) (; Greek: μίτρα, "headband" or "turban") or miter (American English; see spelling differences), is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of bishops and certain abbots in ...
, shaped by steel
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
and filled with glass frit
A frit is a ceramic composition that has been fused, quenched, and granulated. Frits form an important part of the batches used in compounding enamels and ceramic glazes; the purpose of this pre-fusion is to render any soluble and/or toxic compo ...
.
The worship space in The Cathedral of Christ the Light is a vesica piscis
The vesica piscis is a type of lens, a mathematical shape formed by the intersection of two disks with the same radius, intersecting in such a way that the center of each disk lies on the perimeter of the other. In Latin, "vesica piscis" litera ...
shape (translated into English means fish bladder), the shape formed by the intersection of two circles. The walls are composed of overlapping panels of wood and glass rising skyward to form the vault, much like the scales of a fish. The design is inspired by the miracle of the loaves and the fishes in Christian tradition, among other motifs. ''The Oakland Tribune
The ''Oakland Tribune'' is a weekly newspaper published in Oakland, California, by the Bay Area News Group (BANG), a subsidiary of MediaNews Group.
Founded in 1874, the ''Tribune'' rose to become an influential daily newspaper. With the decline ...
'' wrote of the Hartman's description of light, "The design allows light to filter in, reminiscent of how light filters through a canopy of tall redwood trees in a wooded glade, Hartman said".
Like the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels ( es, Catedral de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles), informally known as COLA or the Los Angeles Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church in Los Angeles, California, United States. It opened in 2 ...
which serves the Archdiocese of Los Angeles
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles ( la, Archidiœcesis Angelorum in California, es, Arquidiócesis de Los Ángeles) is an ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church ( particularly the Roman Catholic or Latin Church) located in th ...
, The Cathedral of Christ the Light is built with protective measures against earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...
damage.
A small garden on The Cathedral of Christ the Light's grounds is intended to serve as a place of healing for survivors of clergy sexual abuse.Catholic VoiceDesigned by a Survivors' Group in collaboration with the Oakland Diocese and famed architect Dr. Aryan Sarkar, the garden features a
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
sculpture and a plaque inscribed "This healing garden, planned by survivors, is dedicated to those innocents sexually abused by members of the clergy. We remember, and we affirm: never again."
Organ
Orgues Létourneau Limitée Organ Opus 118 was installed on both side of the Vesica. It has 92 ranks with 5298 pipes.
* Great Organ C-c4: Double Diapason 16', First Diapason 8', Second Diapason 8', Harmonic Flute 8', Salicional 8', Chimney Flute 8', Principal 4', Open Flute 4', Fifteenth 2', Mixture IV-V 2-2/3', Sharp Mixture III 1', Cornet III 2-2/3', Trumpet 8', Trompeta de luz 8', Tremulant
* Solo Organ C-c4: Doppel Flute 8', Viole d'Orchestre 8', Viole Celeste 8', Clarinet 8', English Horn 8' Tuba 8', Trompeta de luz 8', Tremulant
* Swell Organ C-c4: Gamba 16', Open Diapason 8', Gamba 8', Voix Celeste 8', Bourdon 8', Principal 4', Spire Flute 4', Nazard 2-2/3', Flageolet 2', Tierce 1-3/5', Mixture V 2', Double Trumpet 16', Trumpet 8', Hautboy 8', Clarion 4', Tremulant
* Choir Organ C-c4: Violonbass 16', Open Diapason 8', Violoncello 8', Cello Celeste 8', Spindle Flute 8', Principal 4', Fifteenth 2', Mixture IV-V 1-1/3', Fagotto 16', Trumpet 8', Clarion 4', Tremulant
* Bombarde Organ C-c4: Double Diapason 16’, Open Diapason 8’, Quint 5-1/3’, Principal 4’, Full Mixture V-VII 2-2/3’, Bombarde 16’, Trompette 8’, Clarion 4’, Trompeta de luz 8’
* Echo Choir Organ C-c4: Lieblich Gedackt 16', Principal 8', Chimney Flute 8', Dolce Flute 8', Flute Celeste 8', Traverse Flute 4', Piccolo 2', Larigot 1-1/3', Oboe 8', Vox Humana 8', Tremulant
* Pedal Organ C-g1: Contra Bourdon 32', Open Wood 16', Double Diapason 16', Bourdon 16', Subbass 16', Violonbass 16', Gamba 16', Lieblich Gedackt 16', Quint 10-2/3', Open Diapason 8', Bourdon 8', Violoncello 8', Gamba 8', Lieblich Gedackt 8', Quint 5-1/3', Principal 4', Nachthorn 4', Open Flute 2', Mixture V 2-2/3', Contra Trombone 32', Bombarde 16', Trombone 16', Fagotto 16', Trompette 8', Fagotto 8', Clairon 4', Schalmey 4', Trompeta de luz 8', Tremulant
Costs and criticism
The Catholic Cathedral Corporation of the East Bay was an outgrowth of a February 2000 meeting of representatives from parishes of the Diocese of Oakland. The summit reached consensus to proceed with the planning of a new cathedral. The newly incorporated Catholic Cathedral Corporation of the East Bay, a non-profit organization independent of the chancery of the Diocese of Oakland, began soliciting donations for its Cathedral Campaign.
Despite considerable support, the Cathedral Campaign gained critics concerned with its price tag for construction increasing from $131 million in 2003, when the design was chosen, to an estimated $190 million in 2007,USA Today: "Oakland cathedral sets high marks in cost, design"September 1, 2007 to $175 million, reduced by cost-cutting measures in the final year.
September 7, 2009 Some questioned whether the money should not have been spent more appropriately elsewhere. Proponents countered that the Diocese of Oakland spends $350 million on social services and education annually while the $175 million cost of the cathedral would be spread over three years of construction and four years of design. They also noted that the cathedral was financed by donations solicited specifically for the project. Suggestions were made to use the donations for other projects instead, like those administered by the diocese to help the poor or to build new schools.
November 4, 2008 Rev. Leo Edgerly Jr., who serves on the cathedral advisory board, replied to the critics: "You can go to Europe and see Gothic cathedrals," he said. "You can come to Oakland and see this."
See also
*List of Catholic cathedrals in the United States
The following is a list of the Catholic cathedrals in the United States. The Catholic Church in the United States comprises ecclesiastical territories called dioceses led by prelate bishops. Each bishop is assigned to a cathedral from which he ...
*List of cathedrals in the United States
This is a list of cathedrals in the United States, including both actual cathedrals (seats of bishops in episcopal Christian groups, such as Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy and the Armenian Apostolic Church) and a few prominent church ...
Notes
External links
Official Cathedral Site
{{Authority control Cathedrals in Oakland, California Christ the Light, Cathedral of Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland Skidmore, Owings & Merrill buildings Tourist attractions in Oakland, California Roman Catholic churches completed in 2008