A Glass Architectural Wonder: the Crystal Cathedral

Glass has always fascinated architects around the world and they did not hesitate to use it in the most unexpected constructions. This material provides a special and exotic aura to all constructions and creates a fascinating and magical atmosphere. One example is the Crystal Cathedral, built in Garden Grove, California, at the request of Pastor Robert Schuller. This glass cathedral is a truly striking building. Its construction started in 1977 and was completed in 1980. Despite the fragility of the material that it is made of, the church has a strong structure that has resisted against two earthquakes.

The cathedral is a star-shaped Protestant sanctuary that has a height of 40 meters, 63 meters long and 126 meters wide. The church is covered with more than 10,000 colored glass panels and can accommodate up to 2,900 people. If looking impressive from the outside, the view of the sky and the light that pours through the glass roof from the inside is much more overwhelming.

Besides being a place of worship, the cathedral became a major tourist attraction of California, and hosts over 250 000 tourists every year. In the center of the church there is a pool surrounded by several fountains and everything inside is made of marble and granite. The cathedral’s organ, made by Fratelli Ruffatti, is one of the largest five in the world with 15,948 pipes.

For many tourists, the Crystal Cathedral looks like a religious edifice of the XXI century decorated like the middle ages. The ministries are held at the Crystal Cathedral during live telecasted shows named Hour of Power, which attracts over 20 million viewers.

In October 2010, the church filed for bankruptcy protection for at that time, the ministry owed $12 million to creditors and had a $36 million mortgage. However, the Crystal Cathedral bankruptcy has a solution: selling the property and the church for $46 million to an Orange County developer.