St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney
Encyclopedia
The Metropolitan Cathedral of St Mary is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney and the seat
of the Archbishop of Sydney
, Cardinal
George Pell
. The cathedral is dedicated to "Mary, Help of Christians", Patron of Australia. St Mary’s holds the title and dignity of a minor basilica
, bestowed upon it by Pope Pius XI
in 1930.
St Mary's is the largest church in Australia, though not the highest. It is located on College Street
in the heart of the City of Sydney where, despite the high rise development of the Sydney central business district
(CBD), its imposing structure and twin spires make it a landmark from every direction. In 2008, St Mary's Cathedral became the focus of World Youth Day 2008
and was visited by Pope Benedict XVI
.
1788, as a penal settlement governed in the name of King George III by Captain Arthur Phillip
, for prisoners transported from Britain. A good number of the people to arrive in Sydney at that time were military, some with wives and family. There were also a number of free settlers.
The first chaplain of the colony was the Reverend Richard Johnson
of the Church of England
. No specific provision was made for the religious needs of those many convicts and settlers who were Roman Catholic
s. To redress this, an Irish Catholic
priest, a Father O’Flynn, travelled to the colony of New South Wales but, as he arrived without government sanction, he was sent home.
It was not until 1820 that two priests, a Father Conolly and Father John Therry, arrived to officially minister to the Roman Catholics in Australia. Father Conolly went to Tasmania
and Father Therry remained in Sydney.
It is claimed that on the day of his arrival, Therry had a vision of a mighty church of golden stone dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary raising its twin spires above the city of Sydney. This vision came to pass, but not until after 180 years and three intermediate buildings.
building projects, the hospital of 1811, the Hyde Park Barracks
and St James'
Anglican church which was also used as a law court. The site for the Catholic church overlooked a barren area upon which the bricks for Macquarie’s buildings were made. The area is now Hyde Park, with avenues of trees and the Archibald Fountain.
The foundation stone for the first St Mary’s was laid on 29 October 1821 by Governor Macquarie. It was a simple cruciform stone structure which paid homage to the rising fashion for the Gothic style in its pointed windows and pinnacles. In 1835, the Most Reverend John Polding
became the first archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church in Australia. In 1851 the church was modified to the designs of Augustus Welby Pugin. Father Therry died on 25 May 1864. On 29 June 1865, the church caught fire and was destroyed.
The then archdeacon, Father McEnroe, immediately set about planning and fund raising in order to build the present cathedral, based upon a plan drawn up by Archbishop Polding. Polding wrote to William Wardell
, a pupil of Augustus Welby Pugin, the most prominent architect of the Gothic Revival movement. Polding was impressed with Wardell's building of St John's College
at Sydney University. In his letter, Polding gives Wardell a completely free hand in the design, saying "Any plan, any style, anything that is beautiful and grand, to the extent of our power." Wardell had also designed and commenced work on St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne
in 1858.
There were to be two intermediate stages. A temporary wooden church was constructed, which was also destroyed by fire in the summer of 1869. The third temporary provision was a sturdy brick building on the site, not of the cathedral but of St Mary’s School, which it was to serve long after the present structure was in use.
, presided at the dedication Mass. Archbishop Vaughan gave the peal of bells which were rung for the first time on that day. Vaughan died while in England in 1883.
The cathedral's builder (for this stage) was John Young, who also built a large sandstone house in the Gothic Revival style, known as "The Abbey", in Annandale, New South Wales
. The Abbey incorporated gargoyles which, according to rumour, had been stolen from St Mary's.
But St Mary's was still far from finished, the work proceeding under Cardinal Moran. In 1913 Archbishop Kelly
laid the foundation stone for the nave, which continued under the architects Hennessy, Hennessy and Co. In 1928 Kelly dedicated the nave in time for the commencement of the 29th International Eucharistic Congress
. A slight difference of colour and texture of the sandstone
on the internal walls marks the division between the first and second stage of building.
The decoration and enrichment of the cathedral continued with the remains of Archbishop Vaughan
being returned to Sydney and buried within the Chapel of the Irish Saints. The richly decorated crypt which enshrines the bodies of many of the early priests and bishops was not completed until 1961 when it was dedicated by Cardinal Gilroy.
For many years the two squared-off towers of the façade gave a disappointing appearance to an otherwise-elegant building. It was from time to time suggested pinnacles should be put up to match the central tower as it appeared plain that William Wardell’s proposed spires would never be built. But with the assistance of a grant from the Government to mark the new millennium, the spires were eventually built in 2000.
In 2008, St Mary's Cathedral became the focus of World Youth Day 2008
and was visited by Pope Benedict XVI
who, in his homily on 19 July, made the historic full apology
for child sex abuse by Catholic
priests in Australia
, of whom 107 have been committed by the courts.
The plan of the cathedral is a conventional English cathedral plan, cruciform in shape, with a tower over the crossing of the nave and transepts and twin towers at the West Front (in this case, the south). The chancel is square-ended, like the chancels of Licoln
, York
and several other English cathedrals. There are three processional doors in the south with additional entrances conveniently placed in the transept facades so that they lead from Hyde Park
and from the presbytery buildings and school adjacent the cathedral.
, the writings of John Ruskin
and the architecture of Augustus Welby Pugin. At the time that the foundation stone was laid, the architect Edmund Blacket
had just completed Sydney’s very much smaller Anglican cathedral in the Perpendicular Gothic style and the Main Building of Sydney University. St Mary's, when William Wardell's plan was realised, was to be a much larger, more imposing and more sombre structure than the pretty little St Andrew's
and, because of its fortuitous siting, still dominates many views of the city despite the high-rise buildings.
The style of the cathedral is Geometric Decorated Gothic
, the archaeological antecedent being the ecclesiastical architecture of late 13th century England. It is based fairly closely on the style of Lincoln Cathedral
, the tracery of the huge chancel window being almost a replica of that at Lincoln.
with many small dormers in the French manner. The roofline of the aisles is decorated with carved bosses between the sturdy buttresses which support flying buttress
s to the clerestorey.
Facing Hyde Park, the transept provides the usual mode of public entrance, as is common in many French cathedrals, and has richly decorated doors which, unlike those of the main front, have had their carved details completed and demonstrate the skills of local craftsmen in both designing and carving in the Gothic style. Included in the foliate bosses are Australian native plants such as the waratah
, floral emblem
of New South Wales
.
The appearance of St Mary's Cathedral to a visitor approaching from the city is through Hyde Park, where the transept front and central tower rise up behind the Archibald Fountain
. The gardeners have further enhanced the vista by laying out a garden on the cathedral side of the park in which the plantings, over the years, have often taken the form of a cross.
Despite the many English features of the architecture including its interior and chancel termination, the entrance façade is not English at all. It is a design loosely based on the most famous of all Gothic west fronts, that of Notre Dame de Paris
with its balance of vertical and horizontal features, its three huge portals and its central rose window. There are two more large rose window
s, one in each of the transepts. The French façade was, however, intended to have twin stone spires like those of Lichfield Cathedral
, but they were not to be put in place until 132 years after the building was commenced.
The crossing tower, which holds the bells, is quite stocky but its silhouette is made elegant by the provision of tall crocketted pinnacles. The completed spires of the main front enhance the view of the cathedral along College Street and particularly the ceremonial approach from the flight of stairs in front of the cathedral. Standing at 74.6 metres (244.8 ft), they make St Mary’s the fourth tallest church in Australia, after the triple-spired St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne
, St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne
and the Sacred Heart Cathedral
in Bendigo.
The building is of golden-coloured sandstone which has weathered externally to golden-brown. The roof is of red cedar, that of the nave being of an open arch-braced construction enlivened by decorative pierced carvings. The chancel is vaulted with timber, which was probably intended to be richly decorated in red, blue and gold after the manner of the wooden roof at Peterborough, but this did not eventuate, and the warm colour of the timber contrasts well with the stonework.
The side aisles are vaulted in stone, with a large round boss at the centre of each ribbed vault. Children who, over the years, have crawled into the arched space beneath the pulpit have discovered another such beautiful carved boss, in miniature and usually unseen. On all the terminals of arches within the buildings are carved heads of saints. Those that are near the confessional
s are at eye-level and may be examined for their details.
The screen behind the high altar is delicately carved in Oamaru
limestone from New Zealand
. It contains many open niches, but these, like the similar niches in the altar of Our Lady
located directly behind the high altar, are empty and the statues have never been completed. There are two large chapels and two smaller ones, the larger being the Chapel of the Sacred Heart
and the Chapel of the Irish Saints. On either side of the Lady Chapel are the Chapels of Ss Joseph and Peter all with ornately carved altars and a small statue in each niche. The embellished mosaics in the Kelly Chapel floor were laid by Melocco Co in 1937 approximately the same time as the mosaic floor in the Lady Chapel of St John's College
also designed by Wardell.
, the cathedral installed extensive lighting in the 1970s, with the aim of giving more-or-less equal illumination to all parts of the buildings. The interior is lit with a diffuse yellow glow contrary to the effects of the natural light which penetrates the stained glass, and removing the sense of massive structure from the building. The stone vaulting of the aisles are bathed in even light which negates the surface modelling that is integral to a vaulted compartment. That part of the light in the nave which is directed upwards, illuminates the middle level, or triforium gallery much more brightly than any other part of the building.
, all the work of Hardman & Co.
and covering a period of about 50 years.
There are about 40 pictorial windows representing several themes and culminating in the chancel window showing the Downfall of Humanity and Mary, crowned and enthroned beside her Son as he sits in Judgement, pleading Jesus’ mercy upon Christians.
Other windows include the Mysteries of the Rosary
, the Birth and Childhood of Jesus and Lives of the Saints
. Stylistically, the windows move from the Gothic Revival of the 19th century to a more painterly and lavish style of the early 20th century. The three rose windows above the entrances, in particular, excite a lot of admiration.
Many of the windows are of exceptional quality but the masterpiece is the huge window of the chancel, which has few, if any, rivals among the world’s 19th century windows for beauty of design. See Stained glass - British glass, 1811-1918
, painted in oils by L. Chovet of Paris and selected for St Mary’s by Cardinal Moran in 1885. In the western transept is a marble replica of Michelangelo’s Pieta
, the original of which is in St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome. This sculpture was brought to Australia for display in David Jones Ltd. department store and was later donated to the cathedral.
Located previously in the crypt, where it was touched in the evening by the setting sun, was the Grave of the Unknown Soldier
, a realistic depiction of a dead soldier sculpted by G.W.Lambert
. Although previously visible to the public from above, the tomb has now been moved into the aisle of the cathedral, to give the public greater access to it.
The crypt has an extensive mosaic
floor, the achievement of Peter Melocco and his firm. This design has as its foundation a cross elaborately decorated like a vast Celtic
illuminated manuscript
, with rondels showing the Days of Creation and the titles of the Virgin Mary.
has been a traditional English-style cathedral choir of men and boys since 1955. The current director (from February 2010) is Thomas Wilson. The Choir performs every Sunday of the year except during the January school holidays. They sing at solemn high mass and at major festivals including Christmas Eve midnight mass and the great vigil of Easter, and are the oldest continuous musical institution in Australia. They perform works ranging from ancient Gregorian Chant
through to renaissance compositions right through to modern 21st century classical compositions.
. The choir performs on the third Sunday of every month in at the 9.00am Mass and on special liturgical days and for weddings and functions.
Formed in 1990, the choir of men and women is a two-tiered organisation. At regular events throughout the year the choir numbers approximately 30 to 40 members, while at large performances and celebrations, including Christmas Eve and Easter Sunday, the choir surpasses numbers of 60 to 80 members. Rehearsing in the cathedral Schola Cantorum on Monday evenings, this choir perform many of the accompanied and a capella masterpieces of the sacred choral tradition.
The bells of St Mary’s Cathedral have a unique place in Australian history. There have been three separate rings of bells
at the Cathedral, all cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
of London. The first, of eight bells, arrived in Sydney in August 1843, and were installed in a wooden campanile located away from the main building (approximately where the pulpit is today). They were the first bells hung for change ringing
in Australia and rang for the first time on New Year’s Day 1844
.
When the cathedral was destroyed by fire in June 1865, the bells escaped damage. Construction of new cathedral began in 1866, and during 1868 the bells were removed from the campanile and installed in the new tower, which was situated where the south-western tower now stands.
In 1881 the bells were traded in for a new ring of eight which were installed the following year (the Whitechapel Foundry was then using the name Mears & Stainbank). In 1885 a contract was signed for the construction of the Central Tower (the Moran Tower) to which the bells were transferred in 1898.
A century later an entirely new ring was ordered. Today the Central Tower houses a ring of twelve bells, plus two additional bells which allow alternative groups of bells to be rung, depending on the number and skill of the ringers available. They were rung for the first time in 1986.
Seven bells from the 1881 peal now form part of a ring of twelve bells at St Francis Xavier Cathedral in Adelaide. The old tenor bell (the Moran Bell) became the Angelus bell and is located in St Mary’s south-western tower.
The bells are rung regularly before Solemn Mass on Sundays and on major feast days. They are also rung by arrangement for weddings and funerals and to mark important civic occasions. The bells of St Mary’s were heard leading the ringing which marked the centenary of Australian Federation. They are also rung as part of the finale to Sydney's Symphony in the Domain
concert in January, in unison with Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture
.
The ringing and care of the bells is entrusted to the St Mary’s Basilica Society of Change Ringers.
Cathedra
A cathedra or bishop's throne is the chair or throne of a bishop. It is a symbol of the bishop's teaching authority in the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, and has in some sense remained such in the Anglican Communion and in Lutheran churches...
of the Archbishop of Sydney
Catholic Bishops and Archbishops of Sydney
Sydney has had a Catholic Archbishop since 1842.-List of incumbents:# John Bede Polding OSB, 1842-1877.# Roger Bede Vaughan O.S.B., 1877-1883.# Patrick Francis Moran, 1884-1911.# Michael Kelly, 1911-1940.# Norman Thomas Gilroy, 1940-1971....
, Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
George Pell
George Pell
George Pell AC is an Australian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the eighth and current Archbishop of Sydney, serving since 2001. He previously served as auxiliary bishop and archbishop of the Archdiocese of Melbourne...
. The cathedral is dedicated to "Mary, Help of Christians", Patron of Australia. St Mary’s holds the title and dignity of a 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....
, bestowed upon it by Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
in 1930.
St Mary's is the largest church in Australia, though not the highest. It is located on College Street
College Street, Sydney
College Street in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia is a major street in the centre of the Central Business District. It runs from Queens Square near St James station to Whitlam Square at Liverpool St...
in the heart of the City of Sydney where, despite the high rise development of the Sydney central business district
Sydney central business district
The Sydney central business district is the main commercial centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It extends southwards for about 3 kilometres from Sydney Cove, the point of first European settlement. Its north–south axis runs from Circular Quay in the north to Central railway station in...
(CBD), its imposing structure and twin spires make it a landmark from every direction. In 2008, St Mary's Cathedral became the focus of World Youth Day 2008
World Youth Day 2008
The 23rd World Youth Day 2008 was a Catholic youth festival that started on 15 July and continued until 20 July 2008 in Sydney, Australia. It was the first World Youth Day held in Australia and the first World Youth Day in Oceania. This meeting was decided by Pope Benedict XVI, during the Cologne...
and was visited by Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
.
Background
Sydney was colonised on 26 JanuaryAustralia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia...
1788, as a penal settlement governed in the name of King George III by Captain Arthur Phillip
Arthur Phillip
Admiral Arthur Phillip RN was a British admiral and colonial administrator. Phillip was appointed Governor of New South Wales, the first European colony on the Australian continent, and was the founder of the settlement which is now the city of Sydney.-Early life and naval career:Arthur Phillip...
, for prisoners transported from Britain. A good number of the people to arrive in Sydney at that time were military, some with wives and family. There were also a number of free settlers.
The first chaplain of the colony was the Reverend Richard Johnson
Richard Johnson (chaplain)
Richard Johnson was the first Christian cleric in Australia.Johnson was the son of John and Mary Johnson. He was born in Welton, Yorkshire and educated at Hull Grammar School under Joseph Milner. In 1780 he entered Magdalene College, Cambridge as a sizar and graduated in 1784...
of the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. No specific provision was made for the religious needs of those many convicts and settlers who were Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
s. To redress this, an Irish Catholic
Irish Catholic
Irish Catholic is a term used to describe people who are both Roman Catholic and Irish .Note: the term is not used to describe a variant of Catholicism. More particularly, it is not a separate creed or sect in the sense that "Anglo-Catholic", "Old Catholic", "Eastern Orthodox Catholic" might be...
priest, a Father O’Flynn, travelled to the colony of New South Wales but, as he arrived without government sanction, he was sent home.
It was not until 1820 that two priests, a Father Conolly and Father John Therry, arrived to officially minister to the Roman Catholics in Australia. Father Conolly went to Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
and Father Therry remained in Sydney.
It is claimed that on the day of his arrival, Therry had a vision of a mighty church of golden stone dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary raising its twin spires above the city of Sydney. This vision came to pass, but not until after 180 years and three intermediate buildings.
One church after another
Father Therry applied for a grant of land on which to build a church. He asked for land on the western side of Sydney, towards Darling Harbour. But the land allocated to him was towards the East, adjacent to a number of the Governor, Lachlan Macquarie’sLachlan Macquarie
Major-General Lachlan Macquarie CB , was a British military officer and colonial administrator. He served as the last autocratic Governor of New South Wales, Australia from 1810 to 1821 and had a leading role in the social, economic and architectural development of the colony...
building projects, the hospital of 1811, the Hyde Park Barracks
Hyde Park Barracks
Hyde Park Barracks may refer to*Hyde Park Barracks, London in England*Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney in Australia...
and St James'
St. James Church, Sydney
St James' Church is an Anglican church in King Street in Sydney, Australia. Consecrated on 11 February 1824, the church was designed by the transported convict architect Francis Greenway during the governorship of Lachlan Macquarie, and is part of the historical precinct of Macquarie Street...
Anglican church which was also used as a law court. The site for the Catholic church overlooked a barren area upon which the bricks for Macquarie’s buildings were made. The area is now Hyde Park, with avenues of trees and the Archibald Fountain.
The foundation stone for the first St Mary’s was laid on 29 October 1821 by Governor Macquarie. It was a simple cruciform stone structure which paid homage to the rising fashion for the Gothic style in its pointed windows and pinnacles. In 1835, the Most Reverend John Polding
John Polding
John Bede Polding OSB was the first Roman Catholic bishop and archbishop of Sydney, Australia.-Early life:Polding's father was of Dutch descent; his mother died when he was eight. He was placed in the care of his uncle, Father Bede Brewer, president-general of the English Benedictine Congregation...
became the first archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church in Australia. In 1851 the church was modified to the designs of Augustus Welby Pugin. Father Therry died on 25 May 1864. On 29 June 1865, the church caught fire and was destroyed.
The then archdeacon, Father McEnroe, immediately set about planning and fund raising in order to build the present cathedral, based upon a plan drawn up by Archbishop Polding. Polding wrote to William Wardell
William Wardell
William Wilkinson Wardell was a Civil Engineer and Architect, notable not only for his work in Australia, the country to which he emigrated in 1858, but also for having a successful career as a surveyor, and an ecclesiastical architect in England and Scotland before his departure.In Australia,...
, a pupil of Augustus Welby Pugin, the most prominent architect of the Gothic Revival movement. Polding was impressed with Wardell's building of St John's College
St John's College, University of Sydney
]St John's College, or the College of St John the Evangelist, is a residential College within the University of Sydney.Established in 1857, the College of St John the Evangelist is the oldest Roman Catholic university college and second-oldest university college in Australia, and is one of the...
at Sydney University. In his letter, Polding gives Wardell a completely free hand in the design, saying "Any plan, any style, anything that is beautiful and grand, to the extent of our power." Wardell had also designed and commenced work on St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne
St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne
St Patrick's Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, and seat of its archbishop, currently Denis J. Hart. The building is known internationally as a leading example of the Gothic Revival style of architecture.In 1974 Pope Paul VI...
in 1858.
There were to be two intermediate stages. A temporary wooden church was constructed, which was also destroyed by fire in the summer of 1869. The third temporary provision was a sturdy brick building on the site, not of the cathedral but of St Mary’s School, which it was to serve long after the present structure was in use.
St Mary’s is built
Archbishop Polding laid the foundation stone for the present cathedral in 1868. It was to be a huge and ambitious structure with a wide nave and aisle and three towers. Polding did not live to see it in use as he died in 1877. Five years later, on 8 September 1882, his successor, Archbishop VaughanRoger Vaughan
Roger William Bede Vaughan was an English Benedictine monk of Downside Abbey, and the second Roman Catholic Archbishop of Sydney from 1877 to 1883.-Early life:...
, presided at the dedication Mass. Archbishop Vaughan gave the peal of bells which were rung for the first time on that day. Vaughan died while in England in 1883.
Annandale, New South Wales
Annandale is a suburb of Inner West Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Annandale is located within 3-5 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the Municipality of Leichhardt. Annandale's northern end lies on Rozelle Bay,...
. The Abbey incorporated gargoyles which, according to rumour, had been stolen from St Mary's.
But St Mary's was still far from finished, the work proceeding under Cardinal Moran. In 1913 Archbishop Kelly
Michael Kelly (bishop)
Michael Kelly was an Australian Roman Catholic clergyman, the fourth Archbishop of Sydney.Born at Waterford, Ireland, to James Kelly, a master mariner, and Mary née Grant, Kelly was educated at Christian Brothers’, Enniscorthy and the Classical Academy, New Ross.Kelly received his seminary...
laid the foundation stone for the nave, which continued under the architects Hennessy, Hennessy and Co. In 1928 Kelly dedicated the nave in time for the commencement of the 29th International Eucharistic Congress
International Eucharistic Congress
In the Roman Catholic church, a Eucharistic Congress is a gathering of clergy, religious, and laity to bear witness to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, which is an important Roman Catholic doctrine...
. A slight difference of colour and texture of the sandstone
Sydney sandstone
Sydney sandstone is the common name for Sydney Basin Hawkesbury Sandstone, historically known as Yellowblock, is a sedimentary rock named after the Hawkesbury River north of Sydney, where this sandstone is particularly common....
on the internal walls marks the division between the first and second stage of building.
The decoration and enrichment of the cathedral continued with the remains of Archbishop Vaughan
Roger Vaughan
Roger William Bede Vaughan was an English Benedictine monk of Downside Abbey, and the second Roman Catholic Archbishop of Sydney from 1877 to 1883.-Early life:...
being returned to Sydney and buried within the Chapel of the Irish Saints. The richly decorated crypt which enshrines the bodies of many of the early priests and bishops was not completed until 1961 when it was dedicated by Cardinal Gilroy.
For many years the two squared-off towers of the façade gave a disappointing appearance to an otherwise-elegant building. It was from time to time suggested pinnacles should be put up to match the central tower as it appeared plain that William Wardell’s proposed spires would never be built. But with the assistance of a grant from the Government to mark the new millennium, the spires were eventually built in 2000.
In 2008, St Mary's Cathedral became the focus of World Youth Day 2008
World Youth Day 2008
The 23rd World Youth Day 2008 was a Catholic youth festival that started on 15 July and continued until 20 July 2008 in Sydney, Australia. It was the first World Youth Day held in Australia and the first World Youth Day in Oceania. This meeting was decided by Pope Benedict XVI, during the Cologne...
and was visited by Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
who, in his homily on 19 July, made the historic full apology
Regret
Regret or Regrets may refer to:* Regret * Regret, France, a village about 2 miles south-west of Verdun* Expression of regret, a common gambit in politics and public relations, used as an alternative to actually apologizing...
for child sex abuse by Catholic
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"...
priests in 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...
, of whom 107 have been committed by the courts.
Plan
St Mary’s Cathedral is unusual among the world’s large cathedrals in that, because of its size, the plan of the city around it and the fall of the land, it is oriented in a north-south direction rather than the usual east-west. The liturgical East End is at the north and the West Front is to the south.The plan of the cathedral is a conventional English cathedral plan, cruciform in shape, with a tower over the crossing of the nave and transepts and twin towers at the West Front (in this case, the south). The chancel is square-ended, like the chancels of Licoln
Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral is a historic Anglican cathedral in Lincoln in England and seat of the Bishop of Lincoln in the Church of England. It was reputedly the tallest building in the world for 249 years . The central spire collapsed in 1549 and was not rebuilt...
, York
York Minster
York Minster is a Gothic cathedral in York, England and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe alongside Cologne Cathedral. The minster is the seat of the Archbishop of York, the second-highest office of the Church of England, and is the cathedral for the Diocese of York; it is run by...
and several other English cathedrals. There are three processional doors in the south with additional entrances conveniently placed in the transept facades so that they lead from Hyde Park
Hyde Park, Sydney
Hyde Park is a large park in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Hyde Park is on the eastern side of the Sydney central business district. It is the southernmost of a chain of parkland that extends north to the shore of Port Jackson . It is approximately rectangular in shape, being squared at the...
and from the presbytery buildings and school adjacent the cathedral.
Style
The architecture is typical of the Gothic Revival of the 19th century, inspired by the journals of the Cambridge Camden SocietyCambridge Camden Society
The Cambridge Camden Society, later known as the Ecclesiological Society from 1845 when it moved to London, was a learned architectural society founded in 1839 by undergraduates at Cambridge University to promote "the study of Gothic Architecture, and of Ecclesiastical Antiques." Its activities...
, the writings of John Ruskin
John Ruskin
John Ruskin was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, also an art patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, a prominent social thinker and philanthropist. He wrote on subjects ranging from geology to architecture, myth to ornithology, literature to education, and botany to political...
and the architecture of Augustus Welby Pugin. At the time that the foundation stone was laid, the architect Edmund Blacket
Edmund Blacket
Edmund Thomas Blacket was an Australian architect, best known for his designs for the University of Sydney, St. Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney and St...
had just completed Sydney’s very much smaller Anglican cathedral in the Perpendicular Gothic style and the Main Building of Sydney University. St Mary's, when William Wardell's plan was realised, was to be a much larger, more imposing and more sombre structure than the pretty little St Andrew's
St. Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney
St Andrew's Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney in the Anglican Church of Australia. The cathedral is the seat of the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney and Metropolitan of New South Wales, the Most Reverend Peter Jensen...
and, because of its fortuitous siting, still dominates many views of the city despite the high-rise buildings.
The style of the cathedral is Geometric Decorated Gothic
English Gothic architecture
English Gothic is the name of the architectural style that flourished in England from about 1180 until about 1520.-Introduction:As with the Gothic architecture of other parts of Europe, English Gothic is defined by its pointed arches, vaulted roofs, buttresses, large windows, and spires...
, the archaeological antecedent being the ecclesiastical architecture of late 13th century England. It is based fairly closely on the style of Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral is a historic Anglican cathedral in Lincoln in England and seat of the Bishop of Lincoln in the Church of England. It was reputedly the tallest building in the world for 249 years . The central spire collapsed in 1549 and was not rebuilt...
, the tracery of the huge chancel window being almost a replica of that at Lincoln.
Exterior
The lateral view of the building from Hyde Park is marked by the regular progression of Gothic windows with pointed arches and simple tracery. The upper roofline is finished with a pierced parapet, broken by decorative gables above the clerestorey windows, above which rises a steeply pitched slate roofRoof
A roof is the covering on the uppermost part of a building. A roof protects the building and its contents from the effects of weather. Structures that require roofs range from a letter box to a cathedral or stadium, dwellings being the most numerous....
with many small dormers in the French manner. The roofline of the aisles is decorated with carved bosses between the sturdy buttresses which support flying buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
s to the clerestorey.
Facing Hyde Park, the transept provides the usual mode of public entrance, as is common in many French cathedrals, and has richly decorated doors which, unlike those of the main front, have had their carved details completed and demonstrate the skills of local craftsmen in both designing and carving in the Gothic style. Included in the foliate bosses are Australian native plants such as the waratah
Waratah
Waratah is a genus of five species of large shrubs or small trees in the Proteaceae, native to the southeastern parts of Australia...
, floral emblem
Floral emblem
In a number of countries, plants have been chosen as symbols to represent specific geographic areas. Some countries have a country-wide floral emblem; others in addition have symbols representing subdivisions. Different processes have been used to adopt these symbols - some are conferred by...
of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
.
Archibald Fountain
The Archibald Fountain, properly called the J.F. Archibald Memorial Fountain, widely regarded as the finest public fountain in Australia, is located in Hyde Park, in central Sydney, New South Wales. It is named after J.F. Archibald, owner and editor of The Bulletin magazine, who bequeathed funds to...
. The gardeners have further enhanced the vista by laying out a garden on the cathedral side of the park in which the plantings, over the years, have often taken the form of a cross.
Despite the many English features of the architecture including its interior and chancel termination, the entrance façade is not English at all. It is a design loosely based on the most famous of all Gothic west fronts, that of Notre Dame de Paris
Notre Dame de Paris
Notre Dame de Paris , also known as Notre Dame Cathedral, is a Gothic, Roman Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. It is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris: that is, it is the church that contains the cathedra of...
with its balance of vertical and horizontal features, its three huge portals and its central rose window. There are two more large rose window
Rose window
A Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in churches of the Gothic architectural style and being divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery...
s, one in each of the transepts. The French façade was, however, intended to have twin stone spires like those of Lichfield Cathedral
Lichfield Cathedral
Lichfield Cathedral is situated in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England. It is the only medieval English cathedral with three spires. The Diocese of Lichfield covers all of Staffordshire, much of Shropshire and part of the Black Country and West Midlands...
, but they were not to be put in place until 132 years after the building was commenced.
The crossing tower, which holds the bells, is quite stocky but its silhouette is made elegant by the provision of tall crocketted pinnacles. The completed spires of the main front enhance the view of the cathedral along College Street and particularly the ceremonial approach from the flight of stairs in front of the cathedral. Standing at 74.6 metres (244.8 ft), they make St Mary’s the fourth tallest church in Australia, after the triple-spired St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne
St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne
St Patrick's Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, and seat of its archbishop, currently Denis J. Hart. The building is known internationally as a leading example of the Gothic Revival style of architecture.In 1974 Pope Paul VI...
, St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne
St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne
St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne, is the metropolitical and cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne, Victoria in Australia. It is the seat of the Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne and Metropolitan of the Province of Victoria...
and the Sacred Heart Cathedral
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo is a Catholic cathedral located in the provincial city of Bendigo, Victoria, Australia. It is the seat of the Diocese of Sandhurst, Sandhurst being an earlier name for Bendigo...
in Bendigo.
Interior
In cross-section the cathedral is typical of most large churches in having a high central nave and an aisle on either side, which serve to buttress the nave and provide passage around the interior. The interior of the nave thus rises in three stages, the arcade, the gallery and the clerestory which has windows to light the nave. See cathedral diagramCathedral diagram
In Western ecclesiastical architecture, a cathedral diagram is a floor plan showing the sections of walls and piers, giving an idea of the profiles of their columns and ribbing. Light double lines in perimeter walls indicate glazed windows. Dashed lines show the ribs of the vaulting overhead...
The building is of golden-coloured sandstone which has weathered externally to golden-brown. The roof is of red cedar, that of the nave being of an open arch-braced construction enlivened by decorative pierced carvings. The chancel is vaulted with timber, which was probably intended to be richly decorated in red, blue and gold after the manner of the wooden roof at Peterborough, but this did not eventuate, and the warm colour of the timber contrasts well with the stonework.
The side aisles are vaulted in stone, with a large round boss at the centre of each ribbed vault. Children who, over the years, have crawled into the arched space beneath the pulpit have discovered another such beautiful carved boss, in miniature and usually unseen. On all the terminals of arches within the buildings are carved heads of saints. Those that are near the confessional
Confessional
A confessional is a small, enclosed booth used for the Sacrament of Penance, often called confession, or Reconciliation. It is the usual venue for the sacrament in the Roman Catholic Church, but similar structures are also used in Anglican churches of an Anglo-Catholic orientation, and also in the...
s are at eye-level and may be examined for their details.
The screen behind the high altar is delicately carved in Oamaru
Oamaru
Oamaru , the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is 80 kilometres south of Timaru and 120 kilometres north of Dunedin, on the Pacific coast, and State Highway 1 and the railway Main South Line connects it to both...
limestone from New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. It contains many open niches, but these, like the similar niches in the altar of Our Lady
Altar of Our Lady
In a Roman Catholic church, after the main or principal altar, the most prominent is that the altar of Our Lady.It is dedicated in a special manner to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. To indicate this specific preference, this altar is usually placed in the most prominent position in the...
located directly behind the high altar, are empty and the statues have never been completed. There are two large chapels and two smaller ones, the larger being the Chapel of the Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart
The Sacred Heart is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of His divine love for Humanity....
and the Chapel of the Irish Saints. On either side of the Lady Chapel are the Chapels of Ss Joseph and Peter all with ornately carved altars and a small statue in each niche. The embellished mosaics in the Kelly Chapel floor were laid by Melocco Co in 1937 approximately the same time as the mosaic floor in the Lady Chapel of St John's College
St John's College, University of Sydney
]St John's College, or the College of St John the Evangelist, is a residential College within the University of Sydney.Established in 1857, the College of St John the Evangelist is the oldest Roman Catholic university college and second-oldest university college in Australia, and is one of the...
also designed by Wardell.
Lighting
The lighting of the cathedral is its least satisfying aesthetic feature. Because of the brightness of Australian sunlight, it was decided to glaze the clerestorey with yellow glass. This glazing has darkened over the years, omits very little light and contrasts badly with the predominantly blue stained glass of the lower windows. To counteract the darkness, and with little understanding of the aesthetics of Gothic architectureGothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
, the cathedral installed extensive lighting in the 1970s, with the aim of giving more-or-less equal illumination to all parts of the buildings. The interior is lit with a diffuse yellow glow contrary to the effects of the natural light which penetrates the stained glass, and removing the sense of massive structure from the building. The stone vaulting of the aisles are bathed in even light which negates the surface modelling that is integral to a vaulted compartment. That part of the light in the nave which is directed upwards, illuminates the middle level, or triforium gallery much more brightly than any other part of the building.
Stained glass
The glory of St Mary’s Cathedral is the stained glassStained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
, all the work of Hardman & Co.
Hardman & Co.
Hardman & Co., otherwise John Hardman Trading Co., Ltd., founded 1838, began manufacturing stained glass in 1844 and became one of the world's leading manufacturers of stained glass and ecclesiastical fittings...
and covering a period of about 50 years.
There are about 40 pictorial windows representing several themes and culminating in the chancel window showing the Downfall of Humanity and Mary, crowned and enthroned beside her Son as he sits in Judgement, pleading Jesus’ mercy upon Christians.
Other windows include the Mysteries of the Rosary
Rosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
, the Birth and Childhood of Jesus and Lives of the Saints
Lives of the Saints
Lives of the Saints is a novel by Nino Ricci. The author's first book, it forms the first part of a trilogy. The other two novels are In a Glass House and Where She Has Gone...
. Stylistically, the windows move from the Gothic Revival of the 19th century to a more painterly and lavish style of the early 20th century. The three rose windows above the entrances, in particular, excite a lot of admiration.
Many of the windows are of exceptional quality but the masterpiece is the huge window of the chancel, which has few, if any, rivals among the world’s 19th century windows for beauty of design. See Stained glass - British glass, 1811-1918
Treasures
St Mary’s is full of treasures and devotional objects. Around the walls of the aisles are located the Stations of the CrossStations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross refers to the depiction of the final hours of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St...
, painted in oils by L. Chovet of Paris and selected for St Mary’s by Cardinal Moran in 1885. In the western transept is a marble replica of Michelangelo’s Pieta
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art...
, the original of which is in St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome. This sculpture was brought to Australia for display in David Jones Ltd. department store and was later donated to the cathedral.
Unknown Soldier
Unknown Soldier may refer to:*The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a type of memorial site in many nations- Literature :*The Unknown Soldier , a 1954 novel by Väinö Linna*"Unknown Soldier" , a short story written by Kurt Vonnegut...
, a realistic depiction of a dead soldier sculpted by G.W.Lambert
George Washington Lambert
George Washington Thomas Lambert ARA was an Australian artist, known principally for portrait paintings and as a war artist during the First World War.-Early life:...
. Although previously visible to the public from above, the tomb has now been moved into the aisle of the cathedral, to give the public greater access to it.
The crypt has an extensive mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
floor, the achievement of Peter Melocco and his firm. This design has as its foundation a cross elaborately decorated like a vast Celtic
Celtic art
Celtic art is the art associated with the peoples known as Celts; those who spoke the Celtic languages in Europe from pre-history through to the modern period, as well as the art of ancient peoples whose language is uncertain, but have cultural and stylistic similarities with speakers of Celtic...
illuminated manuscript
Illuminated manuscript
An illuminated manuscript is a manuscript in which the text is supplemented by the addition of decoration, such as decorated initials, borders and miniature illustrations...
, with rondels showing the Days of Creation and the titles of the Virgin Mary.
Music
The music team at St Mary's currently comprises- Director of Music: Thomas Wilson
- Principal Organist: Peter Kneeshaw
- Assistant Organist: Dominic Moawad
Pipe organs
- The first pipe organ installed in the original cathedral was built by Henry Bevington of London and installed in June 1841. Of two manuals and 23 stops, it was the largest organ in Australia until its destruction by fire in 1865.
- In 1942 a pipe organ built by Joseph Howell Whitehouse of Brisbane, (1874–1954), was installed in the gallery at the end of the nave, above the main door.
- Between 1959 and 1971 Ronald SharpRonald SharpRonald William Sharp is an organ builder based in Sydney, Australia.He specialised in mechanical, tracker action instruments, and was responsible for re-introducing mechanical action to Australia. His tracker action baroque organs are particularly famous...
(b.1929) installed an electric-action pipe organ in the triforium gallery of the chancel, but this was never completed. - In 1997 a new pipe organPipe organThe pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
was built by Orgues LétourneauOrgues LétourneauOrgues Létourneau Limitée of Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec is a prominent Canadian builder and restorer of pipe organs. The company was founded in 1979 by Fernand Létourneau, its president, owner and artistic director....
of Saint Hyacinthe, Quebec, and installed on a new gallery built around the rose window in the western transept. It was completed in 1999 and dedicated by Cardinal Clancy. The Létourneau organ is of three manuals and 46 stops. In addition to being played from the gallery, it may be played with the Whitehouse organ, from a four-manual mobile electronic console located at floor level. - There is also an organ in the crypt, made by Bellsham Pipe Organs (1985).
Choirs
There are four main choral groups that perform regularly at the cathedral: the St Mary's Cathedral Choir, the St Mary's Singers, the St Mary's Cathedral Youth Choir and the Emmanuel Singers.St Mary’s Cathedral Choir
Begun in the 19th century as a mixed voice choir, the St Mary's Cathedral ChoirSt Mary's Cathedral Choir, Sydney
The St Mary's Cathedral Choir is the oldest musical institution in Australia. In 1818 a group of choristers was formed to sing Vespers before the Blessed Sacrament in the Dempsey Household, the centre of Roman Catholic worship in Sydney as a penal colony...
has been a traditional English-style cathedral choir of men and boys since 1955. The current director (from February 2010) is Thomas Wilson. The Choir performs every Sunday of the year except during the January school holidays. They sing at solemn high mass and at major festivals including Christmas Eve midnight mass and the great vigil of Easter, and are the oldest continuous musical institution in Australia. They perform works ranging from ancient Gregorian Chant
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
through to renaissance compositions right through to modern 21st century classical compositions.
St Mary’s Singers
The St Mary's Singers are an adult choir of mixed voices directed by Michael HisseyMichael Hissey
Michael Hissey is an Australian musician, teacher and conductor who has for ten years been the Musical Director of St Mary's Singers at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney.Hissey has an association with St Mary's Cathedral which has spanned the past 40 years...
. The choir performs on the third Sunday of every month in at the 9.00am Mass and on special liturgical days and for weddings and functions.
Formed in 1990, the choir of men and women is a two-tiered organisation. At regular events throughout the year the choir numbers approximately 30 to 40 members, while at large performances and celebrations, including Christmas Eve and Easter Sunday, the choir surpasses numbers of 60 to 80 members. Rehearsing in the cathedral Schola Cantorum on Monday evenings, this choir perform many of the accompanied and a capella masterpieces of the sacred choral tradition.
St Mary’s Cathedral Youth Choir
Formed in early 2008 when several members of Embrace, the youth group at St Mary's Cathedral, expressed their wish to establish a youth choir and to sing at Mass. The choir usually sings once a month at the 6.00 pm Mass.Emmanuel Singers
A group formed in 2000 as part of the church’s “New Communities”, the Emmanuel Singers place emphasis upon liturgical chants and hymns. The choir sings on most Sundays at the 6.00pm Mass.Bells
Ring of bells
"Ring of bells" is a term most often applied to a set of bells hung in the English style, typically for change ringing...
at the Cathedral, all cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is a bell foundry in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. The foundry is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain...
of London. The first, of eight bells, arrived in Sydney in August 1843, and were installed in a wooden campanile located away from the main building (approximately where the pulpit is today). They were the first bells hung for change ringing
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
in Australia and rang for the first time on New Year’s Day 1844
1844 in Australia
See also:1843 in Australia,other events of 1844,1845 in Australia and theTimeline of Australian history.- Governors:Governors of the Australian colonies:*Governor of New South Wales - Sir George Gipps*Governor of South Australia - Sir George Grey...
.
When the cathedral was destroyed by fire in June 1865, the bells escaped damage. Construction of new cathedral began in 1866, and during 1868 the bells were removed from the campanile and installed in the new tower, which was situated where the south-western tower now stands.
In 1881 the bells were traded in for a new ring of eight which were installed the following year (the Whitechapel Foundry was then using the name Mears & Stainbank). In 1885 a contract was signed for the construction of the Central Tower (the Moran Tower) to which the bells were transferred in 1898.
A century later an entirely new ring was ordered. Today the Central Tower houses a ring of twelve bells, plus two additional bells which allow alternative groups of bells to be rung, depending on the number and skill of the ringers available. They were rung for the first time in 1986.
Seven bells from the 1881 peal now form part of a ring of twelve bells at St Francis Xavier Cathedral in Adelaide. The old tenor bell (the Moran Bell) became the Angelus bell and is located in St Mary’s south-western tower.
The bells are rung regularly before Solemn Mass on Sundays and on major feast days. They are also rung by arrangement for weddings and funerals and to mark important civic occasions. The bells of St Mary’s were heard leading the ringing which marked the centenary of Australian Federation. They are also rung as part of the finale to Sydney's Symphony in the Domain
Symphony in the Domain
Symphony in The Domain is the second of three open air concerts that are held in The Domain, Sydney - Summer Sounds and Symphony, as part of Sydney Festival, and Mazda Opera in The Domain. Symphony in The Domain is traditionally held on the third Saturday evening of January, performed by the...
concert in January, in unison with Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture
1812 Overture
The Year 1812, Festival Overture in E flat major, Op. 49, popularly known as the 1812 Overture or the Overture of 1812 is an overture written by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1880 to commemorate Russia's defense of Moscow against Napoleon's advancing Grande Armée at the Battle of...
.
The ringing and care of the bells is entrusted to the St Mary’s Basilica Society of Change Ringers.
See also
- St Mary's Cathedral Choir, SydneySt Mary's Cathedral Choir, SydneyThe St Mary's Cathedral Choir is the oldest musical institution in Australia. In 1818 a group of choristers was formed to sing Vespers before the Blessed Sacrament in the Dempsey Household, the centre of Roman Catholic worship in Sydney as a penal colony...
- St Mary's Cathedral College, SydneySt Mary's Cathedral College, SydneySt Mary's Cathedral College is a private, Catholic, secondary day school for boys, located in the Central Business District of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is owned by the Archbishop of Sydney and operates as a systemic school....
- St. Andrew's Cathedral, SydneySt. Andrew's Cathedral, SydneySt Andrew's Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney in the Anglican Church of Australia. The cathedral is the seat of the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney and Metropolitan of New South Wales, the Most Reverend Peter Jensen...
, the Anglican cathedral - Hyde Park, SydneyHyde Park, SydneyHyde Park is a large park in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Hyde Park is on the eastern side of the Sydney central business district. It is the southernmost of a chain of parkland that extends north to the shore of Port Jackson . It is approximately rectangular in shape, being squared at the...
, to the west of the cathedral and the Archibald FountainArchibald FountainThe Archibald Fountain, properly called the J.F. Archibald Memorial Fountain, widely regarded as the finest public fountain in Australia, is located in Hyde Park, in central Sydney, New South Wales. It is named after J.F. Archibald, owner and editor of The Bulletin magazine, who bequeathed funds to...
. - Hyde Park Barracks, SydneyHyde Park Barracks, SydneyThe Hyde Park Barracks is an internationally significant, impressive brick building and compound designed by convict architect Francis Greenway between 1818–19; originally built at the head of Macquarie Street to house convict men and boys....
, to the north - The Domain, SydneyThe Domain, SydneyThe Domain is 34 hectares of open space in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Sydney central business district, near Woolloomooloo. The Domain adjoins the Royal Botanic Gardens and is managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens Trust, a division of the New South...
, to the north-east
Sources
- James M. Kelleher, Saint Mary's Cathedral - Pictorial Souvenir and Guide, John Fairfax and Sons, Pty Ltd.