Photo Credit: Brady Architectural Photography

Marian Gardens, Christ Cathedral

Sacred Landscape
Domusstudio Architecture

Garden Grove, CA

The Marian Gardens are a series of four exterior passive prayer spaces that are reflective of the Sacred Mysteries of the New Testament. Each of the spaces embodies the attributes of the selected Gospel verses, reflecting Mary’s experiences of the life of Jesus. The gardens are located on the grounds of Christ Cathedral, the home of the Catholic Diocese of Orange. This site was previously the Crystal Cathedral campus for Reverend Robert Schuller. The intent is for individuals to quietly pass through the gardens and pray the Rosary.

There are four individual gardens, designed to reflect the Sacred Mysteries: Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious. There is an additional Garden of Gethsemane that offers a passive and prayerful respite for campus visitors. The garden experiences are created using architectural concrete, trellises, colorful landscaping, and dramatic lighting, all to uniquely tailor the experiences for each garden. There is liturgical artwork in each as well, to describe each of Mary’s encounters through the life of Jesus. A scripted pathway takes visitors through the garden that is seeded with colorful glass, reflective of the mood and emotion of each set of messages.

Jury Comments

This landscape presents a rich set of ideas rendered with aesthetic sensitivity and detail. The programming of the landscape is generous, providing several different kinds of contemplative spaces that one might use to connect with the life of Mary or with oneself. It was easy to imagine one using this landscape and how the materials, colors, form, and scale of the design complements Johnson/Burgee’s famous glass church for Robert Schuller.

Project Partners

Roman Catholic Bishop of Orange
Land Concern
Artesanos Don Bosco
CW Driver – SPG
Oculus Lighting Studio
J&M Concrete
Inertia Engineering