Holy Name Cathedral, Brisbane
Encyclopedia
Holy Name Cathedral was a planned, then partially built, then discontinued project to build a Catholic
cathedral
in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, Australia
. It was to have been the seat of the Archbishopric of Queensland
and was intended to have been the largest church building of any Christian denomination in the Southern Hemisphere
. The formidable Archbishop James Duhig
was the chief proponent of the project. Building began in 1927 and in the 1930s services were held in a crypt
chapel on the site. After Duhig's death in 1965 the project lost its impetus. The archdiocese sold the site to property developers in 1985. Today the perimeter walls and some balustrades in Ann Street and part of Gotha Street have been preserved in an apartment complex called "Cathedral Place".
, who was later the first Archbishop of Brisbane (1830–1917) and then Archbishop Duhig from 1917 until 1928 when "Dara" was demolished to make way for the Holy Name Cathedral project.
There was also a formal church protest against Duhig, claiming imprudence, irresponsibility, malevolence and subservience to the wealthy, which put an end to the dream of a new cathedral.
Following this it is believed that Duhig never mentioned the cathedral in public again and took his dream with him when he died in 1965.
Stone remaining at the former site of Holy Name Cathedral was sold to the Anglican St John's Cathedral
.
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It was to have been the seat of the Archbishopric of Queensland
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane is a Latin rite metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Australia located in Brisbane and covering the South East region of Queensland, Australia....
and was intended to have been the largest church building of any Christian denomination in the Southern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
. The formidable Archbishop James Duhig
James Duhig
Sir James Duhig, KCMG was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane from 1917 until his death. At the time of his death he was the longest-serving bishop in the Catholic Church .-Early life:...
was the chief proponent of the project. Building began in 1927 and in the 1930s services were held in a crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
chapel on the site. After Duhig's death in 1965 the project lost its impetus. The archdiocese sold the site to property developers in 1985. Today the perimeter walls and some balustrades in Ann Street and part of Gotha Street have been preserved in an apartment complex called "Cathedral Place".
Site
The site of the Holy Name Cathedral had previously site of "Dara", the 1850 built residence of the first Catholic Bishop of Brisbane, James Quinn (1859–1881). The 1850 house was demolished and replaced by a more substantial dwelling of the same name that housed the second bishop, Robert DunneRobert Dunne
Robert Dunne was the second Roman Catholic bishop of Brisbane and later he became its first archbishop....
, who was later the first Archbishop of Brisbane (1830–1917) and then Archbishop Duhig from 1917 until 1928 when "Dara" was demolished to make way for the Holy Name Cathedral project.
"Duhig the Builder"
In the early years of Duhig's ecclesiastical provinciate, his archdiocese took on an extensive building program, including churches, hospitals and schools.Design
Holy Name Cathedral was designed by the Sydney firm of architects "Hennessy, Hennessy & Co."Building
The intended site for the cathedral was on the rise at the southern end of the inner city suburb of Fortitude Valley, between Ann and Wickham Streets. Concrete foundations for the building were laid in the 1920s. Due to the Great Depression fund-raising efforts stalled. Nevertheless, Duhig managed to raise enough funds to build a crypt on the site which was completed in 1934. However, fundraising efforts stalled shortly thereafter and construction never recommenced.End of the project
The Holy Name Cathedral project was subject to further ongoing setbacks. In 1949 the Holy Name architects sued for unpaid fees.There was also a formal church protest against Duhig, claiming imprudence, irresponsibility, malevolence and subservience to the wealthy, which put an end to the dream of a new cathedral.
Following this it is believed that Duhig never mentioned the cathedral in public again and took his dream with him when he died in 1965.
Stone remaining at the former site of Holy Name Cathedral was sold to the Anglican St John's Cathedral
St John's Cathedral, Brisbane
St John's Cathedral is the Anglican cathedral of Brisbane and the metropolitan cathedral of the ecclesiastical province of Queensland, Australia...
.
Footnote: St Stephens
St Stephen's Cathedral, Brisbane in the central business district has remained the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane.External links
- History of Cathedral Place information from the Cathedral Place commercial development website.