Cathedrals have played an important role in Christianity for
centuries. Visitors to Europe come away impressed by the massive
buildings dedicated to Christian worship. Most Gothic examples took
generations or even centuries to complete.
Cathedrals have played an important role in Christianity for centuries. Visitors to Europe come away impressed by the massive buildings dedicated to Christian worship. Most Gothic examples took generations or even centuries to complete.
In the faith traditions of Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicans and Lutherans, cathedrals are the spiritual center of a diocese (region) and contain the chair (“cathedra”) of its chief minister (bishop). They are usually massive buildings, featuring extensive artwork, and often become the site of important religious rites such as ordinations, confirmations and other services presided over by the bishop.
When the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland was formed in 1962, Bishop Floyd Begin chose to serve as his cathedral a large church which had been built in 1886. However, in the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989, St. Francis de Sales Cathedral was so badly damaged that it had to be razed in 1993 rather than repaired.
In 2000, the diocese decided to construct a new cathedral as a replacement. A scenic 2.5 acre plot of land was purchased on the shore of Lake Merritt. Construction was completed last month. The Cathedral of Christ the Light is now open to the public, serving Roman Catholics in four former Oakland parishes as well as 500,000 parishioners throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties.
Those who have visited traditional cathedrals may have been struck by their dark, mysterious interiors: light usually enters only from stained glass windows placed high above the floor. But as its name implies, this new cathedral is quite different in this regard, beginning with soaring walls created from 1,028 clear glass panels.
The soaring wooden beams of the arched roof end in a large, almond-shaped window known as the “oculus,” (Latin for “eye”). This skylight window is covered with 140 aluminum panels that reveal and conceal both light and shadow. Structurally, it is a compression ring, tying the building’s wooden ribs together to resist the opposing forces created by the two halves of the structure.
Behind the altar and choir area rises the Omega Window, a 58-foot image of Christ. Patterned after a sculpture above the west portal of France’s Chartres Cathedral, the image is formed by 94,000 tiny perforations in aluminum panels through which light passes.
Traditional cathedrals tend to be “cruciform” (cross-shaped). Christ the Light; however, is unique in the unusual curvature of its exterior walls. Geometrically, they represent the overlap of two circles, a shape called “vesica pices.” The outline represents a fish, the oldest known visual symbol for Christ. (The Greek word is an anagram for “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.”) Persecuted early Christians are said to have used a fish-shape as a secret code to communicate with other believers.
This stunning new church has many interesting features:
– It seats 1,350 for Eucharistic celebrations.
– The whole structure sits on 36 huge isolators to protect it in an earthquake.
– The organ contains 5,298 pipes.
– Two reconciliation chapels are uniquely designed for hearing confessions.
– A mausoleum beneath the cathedral contrasts by its relative darkness. It includes restored stained glass windows which were imported from Germany and installed in St. Frances de Sales.
Light has had an important symbolism in Christianity, from Genesis, where God says at the moment of creation, “Let there be light,” to John’s Gospel which reads “… What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” The Cathedral of Christ the Light, the first American cathedral of the 21st century, seeks to symbolize “light as a beacon of hope and inspiration for humanity.”
The cathedral is located at 2121 Harrison St., within easy walking distance of the BART 19th Street station ($7.60 round trip fare from Fremont). A public garage is located beneath the crypt, a gift shop is currently open on the plaza and a cafe is scheduled to open next month.
For more information, call (510) 893-4711.
