Legacy

The Church of the Angels is one of the oldest continuously-operating churches in Southern California.

Building the Church

The Church of the Angels’ cornerstone was laid Easter Eve, April 20, 1889, and the church was consecrated on the feast of St. Michael and All Angels, September 29, that same year. Designed by Arthur Edmund Street and adapted by Ernest Albert Coxhead, the Gothic Revival church is a likeness of St. Mary’s Church in Holmbury St Mary, Surrey, England, although it is not an exact copy.

The church is situated within three-acre grounds and is faced with sandstone hauled from quarries in the San Fernando valley. The San Rafael Ranch, of which the Garvanza community was part, supplied the red stone that was incorporated into the structure. The interior walls of the church are of red pressed brick, and the ceiling is of redwood.

A 44-foot stone tower, characteristic of the 11th Century, houses an eight-day Seth Thomas clock that denotes the hours by striking a bell suspended in the belfry. The stone sundial and its landscaped heart-shaped setting is a memorial to Frances Campbell-Johnston, the parish’s founder, and was given by her sons.

The church served the Bishop of Los Angeles as his pro-cathedral until St. Paul's Church, Los Angeles, was constituted. The Church of the Angels was designated as The Bishop's Chapel on November 29, 1889, a chapel-of-ease to the pro-cathedral. Since that time, the Bishop of Los Angeles has served as rector, with his chaplain appointed vicar in charge of all services.

Maintaining the Church

There have been three major repairs to the building since its construction. The wooden parquet floor of the nave, which had become unsafe, was replaced. And after the 1971 earthquake, it was necessary to shorten the tower because of structural damage. Then, in celebration of the church's centennial in 1989, the bell tower was rebuilt to its original height and the church was strengthened and structurally reinforced.

The Church of the Angels is an exquisite space to commune with God and one another. If you’ve found yourself longing for a more intimate, sacred environment in which to practice your faith, we know that you’ll feel at home inside this stone and brick chapel with its magnificent architectural detail. In some ways, the beauty of this church building reflects our faith itself; we honor the tried-and-true ways of the past, while simultaneously raising them up into the present.

ART & detail within the Church

The magnificent memorial window, which depicts the discovery of Christ’s empty tomb on Easter morning, was designed and executed by the firm of Cox & Buckley, London, and is said to be one of the lovelist examples of their work. The altar and chancel furniture are veneered with olive wood from the grounds of Mission San Gabriel which was donated by the Franciscan priests there. The carved pulpit of English oak with a white Portland stone base was erected at the 40th anniversary of the consecration of the church. Near the entrance is the baptistry in which stands a font of Mexican alabaster with a figure, designed by W.R. Ingram and carved from Italian marble, of a child angel kneeling at the base and holding a cross. The baptismal font was a gift from the workers who built the church.

The pipe organ