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Chapel Relic of the Tilma of St. Juan Diego

- The Chapel
  
  Consecrated on September 2, 2012 in commemoration of the Tenth Anniversary of the Cathedral, this beautiful chapel is home to the only known fragment in the United States of the ayate cloth upon which the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe miraculously appeared.
  
  This relic is a piece of the tilma or cloak of St. Juan Diego (the 57-year old peasant to whom the Virgin appeared in México on December 12, 1531). It is encased in a gold-plated silver 18th century reliquary that also contains relics of St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Francis Xavier, St. Francis Borgia and St. Teresa of Avila. Visitors to the Cathedral can see up close the weaving of the cloth, which cannot be seen in full detail when visiting the full Tilma in the Basilica in Mexico City because of its positioning at a father distance.
  
  The Chapel is found in the North Ambulatory of the Cathedral. It is an area trapezoidal in shape that now serves to enshrine this most precious relic. In order to preserve the importance and dignity of this piece of the Tilma, a new sacred space was designed where it would stand out and provide the faithful a moving place of prayer where one can contemplate the significance of the relic. It seemed fitting that it should be encased in a bronze sculpture of St. Juan Diego.
  
  The tilma’s presence in Los Angeles dates to 1941 when Archbishop John Cantwell led a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. The visit eased tensions between the Church and State in Mexico, whose relationship was strained at the time, and the event was received favorably in all quarters. The Archbishop of Mexico City, Most Reverend Luís María Martinez y Rodriguez, was so grateful for the visit that he sent a relic of St. Juan Diego’s tilma to Archbishop Cantwell. Safeguarded for years in the Archival Center of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, it later found a permanent home in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.
  Considering that the tilma is made of natural agave fibers, it is nothing short of miraculous that this relic and the rest of the tilma, enshrined in Mexico City, have survived for nearly five centuries. According to experts, the cloth should have disintegrated hundreds of years ago.
  
  A new ornate reliquary that would incorporate the original was created, so that the relic would not have to be taken out of its original encasement thus preserving the relic and the historical significance of the original reliquary. The new golden reliquary is designed to be located in the heart of the sculpture of St. Juan Diego so that the faithful can venerate it.
- The Relic
  
  CENTER: Relic of Saint Juan Diego's Tilma. This is a one-centimeter square piece of the cloth which contains the miraculous imprint of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The full Tilma is displayed in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. The Tilma is the most recognized Christian symbol in the Western Hemisphere. This Relic of the Tilma is the only one of its kind in the United States.
  
  UPPER RIGHT: Relic of St. Francis Borgia Duke Francis of Gandia. He was a young Christian nobleman of the famous Borgia family, cousin to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. He was also a true man of God. When the duke's wife died, he gave his office to his eldest son and became a Jesuit priest in 1550. He practiced great humility and accomplished great works for God, including spreading the Society of Jesus across Spain and Portugal. He was known as "the duke turned Jesuit" and was called upon to speak, leaving strong impressions on many highborn youth who followed him into the Order. In 1566, St Francis was made the Superior General of the Jesuits and sent missionaries all over the world, spreading the faith to many lands.
  
  LOWER RIGHT: Relic of St Teresa of Avila. Born of noble parents in Spain, Teresa joined the Carmelite Order and reformed it, and built many convents. She lived a life of constant prayer and brought many souls to Jesus. After an apparition- of Jesus and many saints, her soul was taken to heaven in 1582. St. Teresa, renowned for her writings on mystical theology, is one of three women who are doctors of the Church.
  
  LOWER LEFT: Relic of St Francis Xavier. Born of noble parents in 1506, Francis became a teacher. He joined St. Ignatius Loyola and four other young men and formed the Society of Jesus to work for the conversion of souls. Francis went to India and Japan where he converted thousands of pagans until his death in 1552. He is the Patron of Foreign Missions.
  
  UPPER LEFT: Relic of St. Ignatius Loyola. Ignatius was a soldier who undertook a long recovery from a badly broken leg. At that time he read a book about the lives of the saints and decided to change his life to one of service in the name of Jesus. In Paris, he founded the Jesuit Order to teach, educate, and evangelize during the Protestant Reformation when many were falling away from the church. He even sent Jesuits to bring the faith to the Indians of the New World. Ignatius was almost totally blind when he died at the age of 65 in 1556.
- The Image
  
  Another important piece of the Chapel is the mosaic of the Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which was made in Rome by Valerio Lenarduzzi and donated to the Cathedral. It was created with an intricate and impressive design so that the different pieces would reflect light and provide a golden sheen to the Image.
  
  Chapel designers Bucheli and Associates designed a golden background that would accentuate the luminescence of the Lenarduzzi mosaic. The mosaic and the relic are part of one cohesive composition, creating a contemplative place for prayer and Marian devotion. Gold was chosen because it does not fade over time, does not oxidize and has always been associated with eternity and glory.
  
  The chapel panels emphasize the height and verticality of the space. Their irregular angles reflect the light coming from the opposite window creating a variety of yellow hues, which is representative of the overall concept for the Cathedral created by architect Rafael Moneo.
  
  The golden panels were made from maple in Monterrey, Mexico by master carpenter Rigoberto Almanza and painted gold by master craftsman Héctor Barrera.
- The New Reliquary
  
  This piece was designed to encase the original reliquary without altering it. It is made of gold-plated silver. It has an elliptical shape adorned with rose petals with etchings of the indigenous symbols meaning “the Word,” alluding to the roses that St. Juan Diego carried as a sign of the Blessed Mother’s message from the heavens. It also symbolizes flowers and song, symbols of divinity.
  
  Inside the reliquary we included a line of feathers that represent the birds that sang during the apparitions of Virgin of Guadalupe. Those feathers now mark the place of the relic which is in the center of the piece. They also allude to St. Juan Diego’s indigenous name in Náhuatl: “Cuautlatoatzin” which means “eagle that speaks” or “divine messenger.”
  
  The entire piece is crowned by a sun representing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. On the base is the Aztec symbol for the cosmos, or heavens, and the divine, which represent Mary as the Mother of God. On the edges is written “Virgo-Mater” (Virgin and Mother).
  
  This piece was made in Villa de Garcia, Mexico at Artesanarte by master craftsman Jaime Varela and his team of silversmiths. Two chests made of ash wood were specially made by architect Pedro Garcia to transport the new reliquary for the blessing and dedication of the new chapel.
- The Sculpture
  
  The sculpture is inspired by the image of St. Juan Diego found in the Cathedral tapestries and depicts a young Juan Diego rising form the earth with roots representing the diverse cultures of the world. In indigenous culture, man was created from ashes of bone and blood from their gods. This is a man that emerges from the earth and has divine blood in his veins. The roots under him represent diverse cultures all under the loving gaze of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Empress of the Americas and Queen of all mankind living together as brothers and sister.
  
  The sculpture is made of bronze and finished in a dark brown patina. It is positioned to represent the moment when St. Juan Diego opened his Tilma to show the roses that the Blessed Mother had asked him to pick atop the hill in Tepeyac without him knowing that she had permanently impressed her image upon it.
  
  The sculpture was masterfully created by noted Mexican sculptor Cuauhtémoc Zamudio, expert in bronze portraiture.
- Building the Chapel
  
  Construction on the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels was completed in 2002. Cardinal Roger Mahony intentionally left several of the lateral chapels unfinished so that they may be completed by his future successors, with various devotional designs and works of art.
  
  In commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the dedication of the Cathedral, Archbishop José H. Gómez designated the architecture firm of Dario Bucheli and Associates, with consultation from Father José Castaño, to design and construct the new Chapel for the Relic of the Tilma of St. Juan Diego. The construction of the new chapel was made possible by the support of Bill and Helen Close and the Knights of Columbus.