St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne
St Patrick's Cathedral | ||
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Cathedral Church and Minor Basilica of Saint Patrick | ||
Style Gothic Revival | | |
Years built | 1858 – 1939 | |
Specifications | ||
Length | 103.6 metres (340 ft) | |
Width | 56.4 metres (185 ft) | |
Nave width | 25.3 metres (83 ft) | |
Nave height | 28.9 metres (95 ft) | |
Number of spires | 3 | |
Spire height | 105 metres (344 ft) | |
Materials | Bluestone | |
Administration | ||
Province | Melbourne | |
Metropolis | Melbourne | |
Archdiocese | Melbourne | |
Parish | St Patrick's | |
Clergy | ||
Archbishop | Peter Comensoli | |
Dean | Werner Utri | |
Assistant priest(s) | Richard Rosse | |
Official name | St Patrick's Cathedral Precinct | |
Type | State heritage (Monuments and Memorials, Religion) | |
Designated | October 9, 1974 | |
Reference no. | H0008[2] | |
Heritage Overlay number | HO129[2] |
The Cathedral Church and Minor Basilica of Saint Patrick (colloquially St Patrick's Cathedral) is the
.In 1974
The cathedral is built on a traditional east–west axis, with the altar at the eastern end, symbolising belief in the resurrection of Christ. The plan is in the style of a Latin cross, consisting of a nave with side aisles, transepts with side aisles, a sanctuary with seven chapels, and sacristies.
The cathedral was listed on the Victorian Heritage Register on 5 August 1999.[3]
Location
The cathedral is located on Eastern Hill in Melbourne, in an area bounded by Albert Street, Gisborne Street, Lansdowne Street and Cathedral Place. Just to the west across Gisborne Street is
History
In 1848, the
Goold decided to build his cathedral on the Eastern Hill site.
Since the Catholic community of Melbourne was at the time almost entirely Irish, the cathedral was dedicated to
In 1851 a start was made, but with every able-bodied man in the colony soon rushing to the goldfields, not much was built by 1856, when Goold commissioned a larger one, using a design by
St Patrick's Cathedral draws on the Gothic style of late thirteenth century, based on the great medieval cathedrals of England. The style is specifically Geometric Decorated Gothic, showing this style at its most complex in the large west window of the nave. The eastern arm with its chevet of radiating chapels in the French manner is still principally in the English late thirteenth century style, giving the most complete essay attempted in that style during the nineteenth century. William Wardell was a remarkably ambitious and capable architect; he went on to design the second St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney, in a similar style, even larger than St Patrick's, but with a completely English square East End.
In 1974
Construction
In 1858 William Wardell was commissioned to plan the cathedral with a contract signed on 8 December 1858 and building commencing the same year.
Although the
Daniel Mannix, who became Archbishop of Melbourne in 1917, maintained a constant interest in the cathedral, which he was determined to see finished after the long delays during the previous 30 years. He oversaw the addition of the spires and other elements in the late 1930s, with the spires being built taller than Wardell's original design.[3] The building was officially completed in 1939.
The cathedral is 103.6 metres (340 ft) long on its long axis, 56.4 metres (185 ft) wide across the transepts and 25.3 metres (83 ft) wide across the nave. The nave and transepts are 28.9 metres (95 ft) high. The central spire is 105 metres (344 ft) high and the flanking towers and spires are 61.9 metres (203 ft) high. The bluestone used in its construction was sourced from basalt deposits in nearby Footscray.
Restoration
To celebrate the centenary of its consecration in 1997, the cathedral was closed throughout 1994 to be upgraded. Nothing was added to the main building. Rather, it underwent significant conservation work, with funds contributed by the federal and Victorian governments, corporate and philanthropic donors and the community of Melbourne.
The cathedral's stained glass windows had buckled and cracked and required a full year to restore to their original state. Teams of stonemasons and stained-glass craftsmen used "lime mortars and materials long-forgotten by the building trade — like medieval times".[6] The 1992–97 restoration works were undertaken under the guidance of Falkinger Andronas Architects and Heritage Consultants. The works were awarded the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (Victorian Chapter) John George Knight Award for Heritage Architecture 1996. One of the gargoyles restored by the masonry team was modelled on the then-Premier of Victoria, Jeff Kennett.[7]
Music
Cathedral choir
There has been music at St Patrick's since 1858,
Cathedral singers
Formed in May 1996, the St Patrick's Cathedral Singers supplement the musical resources of the cathedral. The choir has been directed since 2015 by Mr Christopher Mason. The Singers sing weekly at the Sunday 6:30pm Mass. Entrance is by audition and some scholarships are available to eligible students.
Pipe organs
The cathedral's original
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Bells
The bells of the cathedral were acquired by Bishop Goold, Melbourne's Roman Catholic leader at the time, when he visited Europe in 1851–1852. He bought a peal of eight bells for £500 (with some records showing that it cost £700). They arrived in Australia in 1853. The
The bells were hung in a low frame at ground level in the western aisle in 1868. The
The ringers of St Patrick's began the custom of ringing in the New Year in 1871. And by the 1880s, St Patrick's Cathedral became the leading tower for Australian
The bells are unusual in that they were cast untuned, they ring anti-clockwise instead of clockwise, and they are thought to be the only ring of eight bells cast by Murphy which are still in operation today.[15]
Photo gallery
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Gothic Revival architecture
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East round court
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Archbishop Daniel Mannix (1863-1964) bronze statue
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Irish Nationalist leader Daniel O'Connell statue
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St Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) statue
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St Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) statue
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River from the throne of God and of the Lamb
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River Fall
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Interior
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Sanctuary
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Interior
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Organ
See also
References
- ^ "St Patrick's Cathedral". GCatholic.org. 15 January 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
- ^ Government of Victoria. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
- ^ a b "ST PATRICKS CATHEDRAL PRECINCT". Victorian Heritage Database. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
- ISBN 978-0-522-87563-8.
- ^ Burgmann, Verity; Burgmann, Meredith (1998). Green Bans, Red Union: Environmental Activism and the New South Wales Builders Labourers' Federation. p. 50.
- ^ Crawford, Anne (29 August 1998). "Heart of glass". The Age. p. Saturday Extra, p. 5. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
- ^ "It's Kennett the gargoyle". The Age. 7 June 2002. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
- ^ Cox, Geoffrey. "Music at St Patrick's Cathedral: A Profile". Archived from the original on 24 July 2008. Retrieved 27 February 2010.
- ^ NMA – Collections search results
- ^ Cathedral choir Accessed 27 February 2010.
- ^ Recordings of the cathedral choir Accessed 27 February 2010.
- ^ "Cathedral organ", St Patrick's Cathedral website
- ^ Baldwin, John (2009). "Melbourne: RC Cath Ch of S Patrick". Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
- ^ "Melbourne, St Patrick's Cathedral". ANZAB Tower Directory. The Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers. Archived from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
- ^ "History of the Bells", St Patrick's Cathedral website Archived 11 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine
Further reading
- O'Farrell, Patrick (1977). The Catholic Church and Community in Australia. Thomas Nelson (Australia), west Melbourne.
- Anderson, Jaynie; Vodola, Max; Carmody, Shane, eds. (2019). The invention of Melbourne: a baroque archbishop and a gothic architect. Carlton, Vic: The Miegunyah Press