This time we will make a dramatic change and go from looking at the desert landscapes to admiring the modern (or postmodern if you want to be extra precise) architecture of the Crystal Cathedral. It is maybe not as well-known as Rio’s statue of Christ the Redeemer or Barcelona’s (still to be finished) Sagrada Familia. It is also not as grand as the Crazy Horse memorial (read about that here) or the president’s heads carved in the mountain (a post about that is here). But you have to admit that it is a remarkable piece of design.

The cathedral, as the name suggests, is a church building. The construction was ordered by a yet another catholic faith denomination called Reformed Church in America. The origins of the church are actually quite interesting. A Mr Robert Schuller – Garden Grove Community Church founder – was preaching in a rented drive-in theater. The chosen spot proved to be a perfect choice for preaching. Very soon the place was not big enough for all the attendees. He was so successful that he even had his own religious TV show. If you want to know more about the history and what happened next head over to Wikipedia site. There you will also find some information about the bankruptcy of the church.

One of the results of the bankruptcy is the name change: soon the building will be known as Christ Cathedral. Their website already has the new name: http://christcathedralcalifornia.org/  Did I mention that the cathedral is in California? Well, to be more specific: Garden Grove, Orange County, California.

Let’s have a walk around:

The building is huge and can set around 3000 people. Many more will fit in the adjacent parking.

Now, because it is a catholic church, you will find a number of sculptures that portray characters from the Bible:

You can also find some references to the American patriotism (although when you visit the flag may be gone):

And speaking of cathedrals – I recommend viewing this short clip titled “The Cathedral”. It’s not new – made in 2002 by a small crew. And it had an Oscar nomination!! Enjoy!