The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, also called the Los Angeles Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church in Los Angeles, California, United States. Opened in 2002, it is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and seat of its archbishop, currently José Horacio Gómez. The cathedral was built as a replacement for the Cathedral of Saint Vibiana, which was severely damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. In January 1995 the archdiocese announced plans to build a new cathedral on the St. Vibiana site and began demolishing the old cathedral; however, preservationists blocked its demolition, citing the fact that it was a city landmark, and demanded that the old cathedral be incorporated into the new one. Citing the high cost of bringing the old cathedral to modern seismic standards, the archdiocese began looking for a new cathedral site. In December 1996, the archdiocese bought a 5.6-acre (2.3 ha) site from Los Angeles County and construction began in October 1998. The cathedral opened in September 2002. It is mother church to over four million professed Catholics in the archdiocese. In addition to the church, the cathedral grounds also include a mausoleum, gift shop, cafeteria, conference center, and clergy residences. The relics of Saint Vibiana are interred in the mausoleum, as well as several past bishops, archbishops, and auxiliary bishops of Los Angeles.