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After a two-year, $72.3 million renovation, the famous Crystal Cathedral in Southern California reopened its doors Wednesday as a Roman Catholic church -- now called Christ Cathedral.
For years the ornate glass church in Garden Grove, south of Los Angeles, was the setting for the late Rev. Robert H. Schuller’s weekly "Hour of Power" televised sermons.
But after Schuller retired, his Crystal Cathedral ministry suffered financial problems and was forced to sell the iconic structure, which was completed in 1981. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange eventually purchased the church for $60 million in 2011, four years before Schuller died at age 88, KABC-TV of Los Angeles reported.
CALIFORNIA MEGACHURCH CRYSTAL CATHEDRAL GETS NEW NAME AS IT CHANGES TO CATHOLIC CHURCH
The Rev. Robert Schuller, founder of the " Hour Of Power" television show and builder of the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, Calif., died at age 88 in 2015. (Getty Images)
Now with the renovation complete, the Diocese hopes to make the cathedral a focal point for its spiritual mission.
“The cathedral stands as a physical sign of unity of the 62 parishes in the Diocese of Orange,” the Rev. Christopher Smith, rector and episcopal vicar of the church, told the Los Angeles Times.
The renovations incorporate important Catholic iconography, including a 1,000-pound crucifix and a cross-shaped baptismal pool. Relics from several Catholic martyrs and Pope John Paul II are also encased in the altar, according to the Times.
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The building is also upgraded with several modern renovations, including seismic retrofitting and air conditioning, KABC reported.
