ST DAVID’S CATHEDRAL

HOBART, TASMANIA       ANGLICAN

PAUL SCOTT

MISSION, DESCRIPTION AND HISTORY

[Wikipedia]

 

The Cathedral Church of St David in Hobart is the principal Anglican church in Tasmania. The dean (as of March 2009) is the Very Reverend Richard Humphrey.

Consecrated in 1874, St David’s is the Bishop of Tasmania’s principal place of teaching. It is a cathedral because it is the location of the bishop’s cathedra or seat. It is the venue for great occasions of diocese, city and state.

 

Mission
The mission of St David’s is “Proclaiming Jesus as Lord in the heart of Hobart to build a community of living faith, profound hope and practical love.”

 

Description
The building sits on the corner of Macquarie and Murray Streets and forms one quadrant of what is considered to be[by whom?] the finest Georgian streetscape in Australia. On the pinnacles of each gable is a quatrefoil, repeated on the extremities of the large crucifix of the rood screen which dominates the sanctuary.

The cathedral choir offers sacred music both classical and contemporary in worship and in concert. The organ, considered one of the superior organs of Australia, is played by quality organists. The acoustics and 650 seating capacity encourage frequent concerts. Appearances of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Hobart City Band, massed military bands, the Royal Copenhagen Chapel Choir and the Sydney Brass Quintet were features of 2008.

The cathedral tower has a peal of ten bells, with the tenor of 21 long cwt (2,400 lb or 1,100 kg), set for full circle ringing. Most of the bells are from 1935 (with several newer bells installed in 2005) and all were founded by John Taylor & Co. They are rung by members of The Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers.

St David’s is known for its contemporary Anglican liturgy. Linked with England’s Coventry Cathedral, the dean and associate clergy are ‘committed to creative liturgies that lift the heart and proclaim the Biblical faith as our society, increasingly dissatisfied with a purely materialistic world view, seeks a sense of the transcendent and apprehension of a living spirituality.’

This desire for a ‘living spirituality’ is reflected in the cathedral’s commitment to serve the city, state and community. In services from those for the opening of law term, the opening of parliament, Heart Foundation, the Cancer Council Tasmania, Battle of Britain, Anzac Day, Hutchins and Collegiate schools and as a venue for state secondary and senior secondary schools the tranquillity and peace is often suspended with laughter, tears and memories.

The memorial service for the Port Arthur tragedy is remembered in the Hope Chapel. A memorial to the last ANZAC soldier, Alec Campbell, who died on 16 May 2002, aged 103, is also in the cathedral.

 

History
In 1842 Hobart was declared a city and the existing St David’s Church became St David’s Cathedral. The Reverend Francis Russell Nixon was appointed first Bishop of Tasmania and Frederick Holdship Cox the first Dean of St David’s.

The current Cathedral was built between 1868 and 1936 in the Gothic Revival style to a design by the English architect George Frederick Bodley. There are flags dating from the time when Tasmania stopped being a convict settlement. The stained-glass windows depict saints, knights, kings and biblical characters. Small memorial plaques along the walls are dedicated to deceased members of the congregation.

The cathedral’s distinctive features include an arcaded entrance with a large west window and buttressed turrets; a square tower made of Oatlands stone; and a close on the southern side with old trees. The building is on the Register of the National Estate.