August 4: Vibiana

Welcome to the American Catholic Daily Reader podcast. Today is August 4th, and our story is Vibiana. In 1876, the newly built Cathedral of St. Viviana's was the most beautiful building in Los Angeles. Modeled on the boyhood parish of the diocese's Spanish bishop, Thaddeus Ahmet Ebrusi, the Baroque Italianate church was named by Pope Pius IX. He chose the name to honor the 3rd century virgin and martyr whose remains were discovered in Rome in 1853.

The Pope also entrusted St. Viviana's remains to Ahmet, who enshrined them above the high altar. More than a century later, Los Angeles still considered the cathedral an architectural treasure, and Los Angeles Catholics considered the cathedral their spiritual home. But the Archdiocese considered the cathedral a problem.

As then Archbishop Roger Cardinal Mahoney maintained, the 1,200-seat cathedral was too small for the Archdiocese's rapidly expanding population and ill-suited for contemporary liturgies. He wanted to raise the building and build a new cathedral in its place. Because St. Viviana's was on the National Register of Historic Places, however, he needed a better reason than size limitations. The 1994 Northridge earthquake didn't give him a reason, but it at least gave him an excuse.

After the earthquake, although city inspectors declared the cathedral structurally sound, Mahony claimed the damage was too costly for the archdiocese to repair. He closed the cathedral and prepared it for demolition. That's when city preservationists stepped in, offering to save the cathedral. But Mahony wasn't interested.

For two years, preservationists fought Monty's plans. The Cardinal fought back, pressuring legislatures to change laws, claiming religious freedom violations, and even beginning demolition without authorization. Finally, as an August 4, 1996 Associated Press article announced, Monty cried uncle and agreed to build the new cathedral elsewhere. The archdiocese gave the city St. Vibiana's, and the city gave the archdiocese land for its new cathedral. Soon afterward, Los Angeles sold the property to a private developer, who turned the former cathedral into a special events venue called Vibiana.

Structural repairs and renovations cost $6 million. Cardinal Mahoney, in turn, built the new cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Construction cost the Archdiocese over $200 million. The story of St. Vibiana's reminds us that history and faith endure, even in the face of human ambition and natural disaster.

Preservation is about more than bricks. It's about honoring memory, community, and culture. Consider something in your life, relationship, tradition, or value that deserves protection. Take one step to preserve or honor it today. Thank you for listening to the American Catholic Daily Reader podcast. Join us tomorrow, August 5th, for another story of faith and courage in America.