19 Jun St Vibiana’s and the Six-Foot Cow
Looming above the altar? A six-foot painting of a cow where the crucifix should be. The large vacant space appeared to hold the aftermath of a party, which is exactly what it was. The friendly manager told us that last evening’s event had been one in which reveler’s eat as much meat as possible, without utensils, rubbing their greasy hands all over each other’s… well, you may or may not get the picture. My friend and I had wandered in off the street to check out St Vibiana’s church and found it had been turned into an event space.
St Vibiana’s was the official cathedral of Los Angeles for over 100 years. Developers wanted to tear it down, but the building survives and now hosts Emmy Awards parties, weddings, and American Idol episodes. On the side street is the hipster restaurant with five-star reviews, Redbird.
The relics of the third century Christian martyr, St Vibiana, had been housed there, enclosed in a marble sarcophagus. The remains have been moved to The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, which in 2002 became the official Catholic Church of Los Angeles.
214 S Main St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
This is an excerpt from Catherine Auman’s book Guide to Spiritual L.A.: The Irreverent, the Awake, and the True
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