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St Mary's Cathedral, Perth

Coordinates: 31°57′20″S 115°51′59″E / 31.9556°S 115.8665°E / -31.9556; 115.8665
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St Mary's Cathedral, Perth
The completed cathedral after repairs and expansion, pictured in July 2010
Map
31°57′20″S 115°51′59″E / 31.9556°S 115.8665°E / -31.9556; 115.8665
AddressPerth, Western Australia
CountryAustralia
DenominationRoman Catholic
Websiteperthcatholic.org.au
History
StatusCathedral[1]
Founded18 February 1863 (1863-02-18)
Founder(s)Bishop of Perth Rosendo Salvado
DedicationMary, mother of Jesus
Consecrated
  • 29 January 1865 (Stage 1)
  • 12 August 1973 (Stage 2)
  • 9 December 2009 (Stage 3)
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)
Architectural typeCathedral
StyleAcademic Gothic
Years built
  • 1863 – 1910 (Stage 1)
  • 1926 – 1973 (Stage 2)
  • 2006 – 2009 (Stage 3)
CompletedDecember 2009 (2009-12)
Administration
ArchdiocesePerth
Clergy
ArchbishopTimothy Costelloe
Official nameSt Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral
TypeState Registered Place
Designated10 October 1995
Reference no.2124

St Mary's Cathedral, Perth, officially the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Perth and seat of its archbishop, currently Timothy Costelloe.

The cathedral is at the centre of Victoria Square, on the northern end of Victoria Avenue, Perth, Western Australia.

The cathedral as it now stands was constructed in three main phases, with the first phase completed in 1865. Plans were drawn up for the replacement of the cathedral in the 1920s with a larger Perpendicular Gothic edifice. However, construction was interrupted by the onset of the Great Depression, leaving a new transept and sanctuary, with the aisle of the original cathedral as its nave. After being incomplete for 70 years, with portions of the cathedral requiring extensive repair work, funds were eventually raised in the late 1990s and early 2000s for the completion of the expansion. A new curved design for the expansion was created, and featured a second spire and underground parish centre. The cathedral closed for construction in 2006, and reopened in December 2009.

History

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The first Roman Catholic church in the colony was St John's Pro-Cathedral on Victoria Avenue. The colony eventually outgrew this small church, and the local Bishop expressed an interest in constructing a "more worthy Cathedral".[2]

First stage: 1865 to 1930

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The original cathedral building in 1894

Benedictine brothers from Subiaco and New Norcia constructed the Bishop's Palace facing Victoria Square.[2] The square had originally been named "Church Square and had been set aside for the construction of a Church of England cathedral.[2] However, the early Anglicans in the colony considered the location to be too far from the centre of the fledgling colony, and instead constructed St George's Cathedral on what is now St Georges Terrace.[2] Bishop Serra therefore applied to the governor of the colony to cede the land in Victoria Square to the Roman Catholic Church, which occurred on 13 August 1859.[2]

Bishop Serra travelled to Rome and there received a donation of 1,000 scudi from Francis II of the Two Sicilies.[2] He also secured a donation of marble from the Benedictine brothers of the Monastery of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, which was used to construct the cathedral's altar.[2] The altar arrived at the colony in 1862.[2]

On 8 February 1863, the Bishop of Perth, Rosendo Salvado, laid the foundation stone of the cathedral.[3]

Because of labour and fund shortages, construction of the cathedral progressed slowly. Benedictine masons would walk daily between their monastery in Subiaco and the construction site. In January 1864, construction was suspended because of a lack of money.[2] Eventually further funds were raised and the building completed, for a total cost of £4,000.[2] The cathedral was blessed and opened on 29 January 1865.[3]

Benedictine oblate Joseph Ascione designed the cathedral in the Norman Gothic style.[2][3][4] The cathedral's walls were built from clay bricks from a property in Adelaide Terrace.[2] Between 1897 and 1910, alterations were made to the cathedral to emphasise its Gothic character, including the addition of a spire to its bell tower.[2]

Second stage: 1930 to 1999

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Expansion of the cathedral underway in 1929
Apse and transept of the 1930 portion of the cathedral

In 1924, Bishop Clune started an appeal to fund the construction of a larger cathedral.[2] Architect Michael Cavanagh designed the new cathedral in the Academic Gothic style.[2][5] Architect John Cyril Hawes described the proposed design as "bastard Gothic" and proposed instead a large Romanesque cathedral.[6] His plans were rejected, with the clergy instead opting for the Gothic design.[6] Hawes went on to design St Francis Xavier Cathedral in Geraldton.[6]

The foundation stone was laid on 25 April 1926.[3] Deteriorating economic conditions associated with onset of the Great Depression necessitated the scaling back of the project.[5] The original cathedral, less its sanctuary, was retained as the nave of an expanded cathedral.[5] Exposed metal bands were left protruding from the wall of the new transept, in preparation for completion of the cathedral in future generations.[3]

The expansion work was undertaken by builders A. T. Brine and Sons, and it was built from stone from the same quarry as the General Post Office building.[3] The sanctuary mosaics were made to designs found in the Book of Kells.[3] The stained glass windows were designed and created in the United Kingdom by John Hardman of Birmingham.[3] The marble altar from the original cathedral was relocated to the sanctuary of the expanded cathedral.[2]

The expanded, but incomplete, St Mary's Cathedral opened on 4 May 1930.[3][5]

Unfortunately the dream of completing St Mary's Cathedral is one that we must leave to future generations to complete.

— Archbishop Patrick Clune, upon the expansion's opening in 1930[7]

[The] new sanctuary and transept ... was connected to the body of the old cathedral, but nobody then or since has considered the amalgam to be a complete cathedral architecturally, aesthetically or liturgically.

— Archbishop Barry Hickey, December 2003[5]

In 1938 the cathedral's boys' choir was established, making it the oldest Catholic boys' choir in Australia today.[8]

In 1973, the central altar and lectern were added to the sanctuary and the redesigned sanctuary was consecrated on 12 August 1973.[3][9]

In 1995 the Heritage Council of Western Australia noted that the original 1865 portion of the structure was suffering from falling damp and cracking in the walls, and the mosaic floors in the sanctuary were also cracked.[2] Further deterioration of the cathedral by the end of the 20th century meant that decisions had to be made in relation to the repair and completion of the original design.[10]

Third stage: 1999 to present

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St Mary's Cathedral and diocesan precinct 2019

In mid-1999, after a bequest of $2 million by the estate of Jim and Alice Hassell,[5] the archdiocese announced that it intended to finally complete the 1920s expansion; however construction was not expected to commence until 2001.[11] Also, it took longer than expected to source funds for the expansion, delaying commencement of the project. In the 2005–06 federal budget, $3 million was set aside for the expansion,[12] and a $2 million grant was received from the state government.[13]

The cathedral was eventually closed in August 2006 for the commencement of construction.[14] At this stage, the building was suffering from rising damp, a crumbling bell tower and structural weaknesses.[14]

In 2006, after the closure of the cathedral for construction, the remains of Perth's first bishops were found beneath floorboards in the aisle, marked only by a small cross carved in the boards.[14] As part of the restoration works, a permanent crypt for Perth's deceased bishops was to be constructed underneath the altar.[14] The remains of Perth's first bishop, John Brady, were exhumed in 2011 from his grave in France and a few months later he was laid to rest in the crypt of St Mary's Cathedral.[15]

The expansion project was overseen by the dean of the cathedral, Monsignor Thomas McDonald.[5] Part of the restoration works involved hoisting the entire roof structure temporarily so that existing columns could be replaced and the walls reconfigured.[16] The roof was then attached to a permanent steel structure.[16]

By March 2007, increasing construction costs and the need for extra repair work meant that the project costs had blown out by $5 million.[14] The costs had further blown out to $32.9 million by March 2009.[7]

The new design includes increased seating for 1,600 people, a new underground parish centre and improved disabled access.[13] It also adds a second spire to the church, which is not identical to the original spire because of a Heritage Council stipulation that the new spire not "shamelessly mimic" the existing one.[17]

The completed cathedral was officially opened by the Archbishop of Perth, Barry Hickey, on 8 December 2009 in a ceremony attended by the apostolic nuncio as well as Cardinal George Pell, 33 bishops and around 300 priests.

The new design by Perth architect Peter M. Quinn won three architectural design awards from the Western Australian chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects: The Jeffrey Howlett Award, the George Temple Pool award and the Margaret Pitt Morrison Award for Heritage.[18][19]

[edit]
  • The old and new Cathedral
  • Original cathedral, circa 1890-1894
    Original cathedral, circa 1890-1894
  • View along Murray Street to the cathedral, circa 1905
    View along Murray Street to the cathedral, circa 1905
  • Cathedral with the spire installed, circa 1910
    Cathedral with the spire installed, circa 1910
  • A service in the original cathedral in 1928
    A service in the original cathedral in 1928
  • Interior facing east in 2014
    Interior facing east in 2014
  • View from Victoria Square, 2006
    View from Victoria Square, 2006
  • West front in 2019
    West front in 2019
  • Interior of cathedral, taken from the now-demolished original portion of the cathedral
    Interior of cathedral, taken from the now-demolished original portion of the cathedral
  • Interior of new section of the nave facing west in 2014
    Interior of new section of the nave facing west in 2014
  • Exterior of the original portion of the cathedral, prior to the expansion work started in 2005
    Exterior of the original portion of the cathedral, prior to the expansion work started in 2005
  • Exterior of the new side from the north west in 2014
    Exterior of the new side from the north west in 2014
  • Exterior of the cathedral's transept in 2006 showing the incomplete section at the right
    Exterior of the cathedral's transept in 2006 showing the incomplete section at the right
  • View from the north showing old and new styles in 2014
    View from the north showing old and new styles in 2014
  • View from Royal Perth Hospital, 2021
    View from Royal Perth Hospital, 2021

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ "Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary". GCatholic.org. 15 January 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Assessment Documentation – St Mary's Cathedral" (PDF). Western Australian Register of Heritage Places. Heritage Council of Western Australia. 10 October 1995. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Catholic Archdiocese of Perth. "Brief History". Archived from the original on 30 September 2009. Retrieved 4 October 2009.
  4. ^ O'Brien, Odhran (2018). "Beyond Melbourne: Nineteenth-century cathedral building in the Diocese of Perth". Journal of the Australian Catholic Historical Society. 39: 49–54.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Banks, Amanda (17 December 2003). "Cathedral project on the move". The West Australian.
  6. ^ a b c Ward, Peter (16 February 2001). "Heritage Watch". The Australian. p. 43.
  7. ^ a b Catanzaro, Joseph (13 March 2009). "$7.5m cost blowout 'won't stop cathedral facelift'". The West Australian. p. 14.
  8. ^ Capp, Geraldine (15 June 2000). "Choir Sings Out For $170,000". The West Australian. p. 15.
  9. ^ Goody, Lancelot John (12 August 1973). Ceremony of dedication of the Cathedral Church of St. Mary, Perth (pamphlet held at Battye Library).
  10. ^ Kleyn, Gary (23 November 2000). "No title". Business News. Perth, Western Australia. p. 1.
  11. ^ Casellas, Pam; Yonnene Pearce (19 August 1999). "Tom The Tease Says Sorry To Forgiving Elsie After 77 Years". The West Australian. p. 2.
  12. ^ "Fed: Green budget looks to south and north". Australian Associated Press. 10 May 2005.
  13. ^ a b "Call to help cathedral". Guardian Express. 27 March 2007. p. 5.
  14. ^ a b c d e Katie Hampson (15 March 2007). "Perth digs deep to save cathedral". The West Australian. p. 7.
  15. ^ Spinks, Bridget (13 July 2011). "Brady to join Bishops in crypt". The Record. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  16. ^ a b Gomez, Kevin (1 May 2008). "Cathedral refurbishment gets a lift". Construction Contractor. p. 20.
  17. ^ Gibson, Dawn (4 July 2009). "Christmas re-opening date for cathedral". The West Australian. p. 14.
  18. ^ "Archbishop's Welcome". St Mary's Appeal archives. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  19. ^ "2010 WA State Architecture Awards: Full List of Winners". Australian Institute of Architects. Archived from the original on 29 December 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2015.

Further reading

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  • Winship, John A. (2010). Our Cathedral : a history of St Mary's Cathedral, Perth, Western Australia (paperback). Perth, Western Australia: Archdiocese of Perth. p. 240. ISBN 978-1-453-75519-8.
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