Tomorrow, Katy Perry and the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary will be back in court fighting over the future of the nun's former convent in the hills of Los Feliz. But these tenacious nuns are not the only religious order in Los Angeles—they are part of a large interfaith community of monks, nuns, swamis, and devotees who live the religious life in this city better known for its sin. Here we map some of the most notable and beautiful religious centers in the Los Angeles area, and there's not a Scientology building in sight!
Designed by famed architect Bernard Maybeck, this fantastical 1927 estate in the hills of Los Feliz was home to the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary from 1970 to 2011. The famously rebellious nuns have been active in Los Angeles for over a century. In 1906, they founded the Immaculate Heart High School, which still operates at 5515 Franklin Avenue. Image via Michael Locke
Opened in 1988, the 15-acre Hsi Lai ("coming to the West") Temple is a mountain monastery built in the style of Ming and Ching Dynasties. The monks here are affiliated with the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order of Taiwan and dedicated to propagating "Humanistic Buddhism" in the United States.
Image via Airbutchie
Designed by legendary architect Wallace Neff for the Dominican Sisters in 1947, this Hollywood convent is home to cloistered nuns famous for their pumpkin bread and devotion to prayer. The Spanish Mediterranean style monastery was once a favorite retreat for Catholic movie stars including Irene Dunne, Jane Wyman, and Loretta Young. Image via Michael Locke
This monastery and retreat center in mountainous Sierra Madre was dedicated in 1932 by the Passionists, a religious order founded by St. Paul of the Cross in the Eighteenth Century. Today, they continue to offer retreats to more than 10,000 men and women each year, including married couples and people in twelve-step and AA recovery.
Located on 26 acres above Malibu Creek, this unfinished Mediterranean style estate was bought by the Franciscan order in 1942 for only $50,000. Today, the bucolic center hosts Catholic, Protestant and educational retreats. “The people in our neighborhood consider us the jewel of the canyon," one Franciscan says. "One resident told me, ‘When I see the cross at night, I know I’m home safe.'”
This awe-inspiring Hindu mandir was completed in 2012. Made with exquisitely carved Carrara marble and pink sandstone, it claims to be the only earthquake-proof mandir in the world. It is powered by a system of solar panels. The 20-acre grounds also feature a 91-foot, Lotus-shaped reflection pool.
The Hare Krishna community of Los Angeles lives in housing surrounding this colorful pink temple on a quiet side street in Culver City. The adjacent Bhagavad Gita Museum, featuring numerous dioramas and animatronics depicting the life of Krishna, is a must-see for every curious Angeleno.
In 1955, the Catholic monks of St. Benedict's Priory in Chengtu, China were expelled by the Communist regime. They were taken in by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and soon found a new home at the former Hidden Springs Ranch in rural Valyermo. Today, the Abbey is a retreat center and a permanent home for 20 monks.
Run by Bodhi Light International, this Buddhist temple and monastery (a converted 1950s tract home) was thrust into the spotlight in 2013, when it received a donation of more than 10,000 Buddhist relics. The highlight of the collection is a rare tooth relic of the Buddha. "No one knows about us. We're perfectly happy,” said the abbot of Lu Mountain. “And then the shariras [relics] suddenly push us into the limelight."
This retreat is run by the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart. These socially active nuns are dedicated to promoting a deeper spiritual life through healthcare, education, and retreats. Their three-acre main campus features an auditorium, library, chapel, and numerous overnight accommodations and gardens.
In 1909, this Mission Revival property opened as the short lived Mount Washington Hotel. In the 1920s, Paramahansa Yogananda, "the founder of yoga in the West," chose it as his international headquarters. Today, the beautiful property features panoramic views of LA, beautiful meditation gardens, and SRF monks and nuns in billowing, brightly-colored saris.
This secluded Hindu monastery in Trabuco Canyon can be reached by a series of winding rural roads in Orange Country. Vedanta Swamis (monks) have called this 40-acre property home since 1949. It was originally built as an interfaith prayer center in the 1930s.
Founded by Dr. George King, this religion's beliefs and practices include aspects of "Christianity, eastern mysticism (especially yoga philosophy) and cosmic new age spirituality." They also believe in godlike aliens, which they call "cosmic masters." Their Hollywood compound, opened in 1965, includes a room awaiting Dr. King's return.
This exquisite oasis in Pacific Palisades was bought in 1940 by Everett McElroy, a 20th Century Fox construction supervisor. He added the iconic windmill and houseboat to the property. The SRF purchased the valuable plot, and in 1950 it was opened as the Lake Shrine. SRF founder Paramahansa Yogananda designed the "golden lotus archway." A large temple was completed in 1996.
This monastery is rooted in the practices of the traditional Linji school of Chan Buddhism. It was opened in 2008 by Venerable Master Wei Chueh, the founding abbot of Chung Tai Chan Monastery in Taiwan. The three-acre property includes gardens, a meditation hall, and living and dining quarters.
This Buddhist monastery was a cloistered Catholic convent for 40 years. When the City of 10,000 Buddhas bought the convent and converted it into a monastery, they kept a statue of the Virgin Mary, because she is worshiped as Guanyin Bodhisattva.
This cloistered Carmelite convent was built in 1923 on the site of a former orange grove. There are now 15 sisters at the convent following in the footsteps of their patron St. Theresa, who lived a life of "prayer, silence, penance, and sacrifice."
This apartment building in Beachwood Canyon was once the heart of the national headquarters of the esoteric Theosophical Society. From 1912 to 1924, around 300 members of the society lived in various exotic homes around Krotona. Architects including Mead and Requa, Arthur and Alfred Heinemen, and the self-taught Marie Russak Hotchener designed buildings for the colony.
Designed in the Byzantine Revival style, this 1928 temple is home to B'nai B'rith, the oldest Jewish congregation in Los Angles. Famed artist Hugo Ballin was commissioned by the Warner brothers (of the iconic studio) to paint a series of biblically themed murals for the temple. Image via Michael Locke
Opened on New Year's Day 1923, this impressive temple was the headquarters of the charismatic Christian preacher Aimee Semple McPherson. McPherson lived in the parsonage next door, while church members and students lived in housing around the temple. The Angelus Temple complex is now the home of the Dream Center. Image via Michael Locke
Designed by famed architect Bernard Maybeck, this fantastical 1927 estate in the hills of Los Feliz was home to the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary from 1970 to 2011. The famously rebellious nuns have been active in Los Angeles for over a century. In 1906, they founded the Immaculate Heart High School, which still operates at 5515 Franklin Avenue. Image via Michael Locke
Opened in 1988, the 15-acre Hsi Lai ("coming to the West") Temple is a mountain monastery built in the style of Ming and Ching Dynasties. The monks here are affiliated with the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Order of Taiwan and dedicated to propagating "Humanistic Buddhism" in the United States.
Image via Airbutchie
Designed by legendary architect Wallace Neff for the Dominican Sisters in 1947, this Hollywood convent is home to cloistered nuns famous for their pumpkin bread and devotion to prayer. The Spanish Mediterranean style monastery was once a favorite retreat for Catholic movie stars including Irene Dunne, Jane Wyman, and Loretta Young. Image via Michael Locke
This monastery and retreat center in mountainous Sierra Madre was dedicated in 1932 by the Passionists, a religious order founded by St. Paul of the Cross in the Eighteenth Century. Today, they continue to offer retreats to more than 10,000 men and women each year, including married couples and people in twelve-step and AA recovery.
Located on 26 acres above Malibu Creek, this unfinished Mediterranean style estate was bought by the Franciscan order in 1942 for only $50,000. Today, the bucolic center hosts Catholic, Protestant and educational retreats. “The people in our neighborhood consider us the jewel of the canyon," one Franciscan says. "One resident told me, ‘When I see the cross at night, I know I’m home safe.'”
This awe-inspiring Hindu mandir was completed in 2012. Made with exquisitely carved Carrara marble and pink sandstone, it claims to be the only earthquake-proof mandir in the world. It is powered by a system of solar panels. The 20-acre grounds also feature a 91-foot, Lotus-shaped reflection pool.
The Hare Krishna community of Los Angeles lives in housing surrounding this colorful pink temple on a quiet side street in Culver City. The adjacent Bhagavad Gita Museum, featuring numerous dioramas and animatronics depicting the life of Krishna, is a must-see for every curious Angeleno.
In 1955, the Catholic monks of St. Benedict's Priory in Chengtu, China were expelled by the Communist regime. They were taken in by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and soon found a new home at the former Hidden Springs Ranch in rural Valyermo. Today, the Abbey is a retreat center and a permanent home for 20 monks.
Run by Bodhi Light International, this Buddhist temple and monastery (a converted 1950s tract home) was thrust into the spotlight in 2013, when it received a donation of more than 10,000 Buddhist relics. The highlight of the collection is a rare tooth relic of the Buddha. "No one knows about us. We're perfectly happy,” said the abbot of Lu Mountain. “And then the shariras [relics] suddenly push us into the limelight."
This retreat is run by the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart. These socially active nuns are dedicated to promoting a deeper spiritual life through healthcare, education, and retreats. Their three-acre main campus features an auditorium, library, chapel, and numerous overnight accommodations and gardens.
In 1909, this Mission Revival property opened as the short lived Mount Washington Hotel. In the 1920s, Paramahansa Yogananda, "the founder of yoga in the West," chose it as his international headquarters. Today, the beautiful property features panoramic views of LA, beautiful meditation gardens, and SRF monks and nuns in billowing, brightly-colored saris.
This secluded Hindu monastery in Trabuco Canyon can be reached by a series of winding rural roads in Orange Country. Vedanta Swamis (monks) have called this 40-acre property home since 1949. It was originally built as an interfaith prayer center in the 1930s.
Founded by Dr. George King, this religion's beliefs and practices include aspects of "Christianity, eastern mysticism (especially yoga philosophy) and cosmic new age spirituality." They also believe in godlike aliens, which they call "cosmic masters." Their Hollywood compound, opened in 1965, includes a room awaiting Dr. King's return.
This exquisite oasis in Pacific Palisades was bought in 1940 by Everett McElroy, a 20th Century Fox construction supervisor. He added the iconic windmill and houseboat to the property. The SRF purchased the valuable plot, and in 1950 it was opened as the Lake Shrine. SRF founder Paramahansa Yogananda designed the "golden lotus archway." A large temple was completed in 1996.
This monastery is rooted in the practices of the traditional Linji school of Chan Buddhism. It was opened in 2008 by Venerable Master Wei Chueh, the founding abbot of Chung Tai Chan Monastery in Taiwan. The three-acre property includes gardens, a meditation hall, and living and dining quarters.
This Buddhist monastery was a cloistered Catholic convent for 40 years. When the City of 10,000 Buddhas bought the convent and converted it into a monastery, they kept a statue of the Virgin Mary, because she is worshiped as Guanyin Bodhisattva.
This cloistered Carmelite convent was built in 1923 on the site of a former orange grove. There are now 15 sisters at the convent following in the footsteps of their patron St. Theresa, who lived a life of "prayer, silence, penance, and sacrifice."
This apartment building in Beachwood Canyon was once the heart of the national headquarters of the esoteric Theosophical Society. From 1912 to 1924, around 300 members of the society lived in various exotic homes around Krotona. Architects including Mead and Requa, Arthur and Alfred Heinemen, and the self-taught Marie Russak Hotchener designed buildings for the colony.
Designed in the Byzantine Revival style, this 1928 temple is home to B'nai B'rith, the oldest Jewish congregation in Los Angles. Famed artist Hugo Ballin was commissioned by the Warner brothers (of the iconic studio) to paint a series of biblically themed murals for the temple. Image via Michael Locke
Opened on New Year's Day 1923, this impressive temple was the headquarters of the charismatic Christian preacher Aimee Semple McPherson. McPherson lived in the parsonage next door, while church members and students lived in housing around the temple. The Angelus Temple complex is now the home of the Dream Center. Image via Michael Locke
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