Our Lady of Victories Basilica (Camberwell)
Encyclopedia
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"...
church located in the Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
suburb of Camberwell
Camberwell, Victoria
Camberwell is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara. At the 2006 Census, Camberwell had a population of 19,637....
. Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
in style, it was designed by architect Augustus Andrew Fritsch (1866 – 1933) and was completed in 1918. It is one of five churches in Australia with minor basilica
Minor basilica
Minor basilica is a title given to some Roman Catholic churches. By canon law no Catholic church can be honoured with the title of basilica unless by apostolic grant or from immemorial custom....
status. The current parish priest is Rev. Michael Morgan.
Our Lady of Victories occupies an imposing site in Burke Road
Burke Road, Melbourne
Burke Road is a major north-south thoroughfare in Melbourne, Australia. It runs from Ivanhoe to Caulfield, and includes the major shopping district at Camberwell...
and, in a city where most churches of the era are built in the Gothic Revival style, has a distinctive copper clad dome completed with a golden statue of the Virgin Mary.