ST. LEON'S ARMENIAN CATHEDRAL

Today I discovered a structure that instantly became my favorite new building in Los Angeles. I speak of St. Leon's Armenian Cathedral in Burbank. If you live in L.A., and you're a fan of architecture, then you MUST visit this church!

Unfortunately none of the photos I took did justice to the exterior and I didn't get any pictures at all of the interior. I didn't want to disturb the people who were praying inside. Since I have no adequate pictures to back up what I say, you'll just have to trust me on this one.

I got this interior picture of the rotunda (above) off the net. One of the things that impresses me about this ceiling is that the entire effect is achieved by lighting and the simultaneous harmony and contrast of the bare-bones shapes. I have nothing against decoration but this building doesn't require it. Most of the effect is achieved by the awesome beauty of the interior space that these shapes carve out.

Like I said, photos aren't very good at conveying the experience of space. You'll just have to see this for yourself. It's not far from Ikea in Burbank. Get off the 5 freeway at Hollywood Way and drive Southwest along Glenoaks for a few blocks and you'll see it. It's not an overly large building though the architect's clever use of scale makes it look enormous. Be sure to go inside.

Let me know what you think about it.