ST MARY’S CATHEDRAL
SYDNEY, NSW CATHOLIC
PAUL SCOTT
The preparation of this site on St Mary’s Cathedral has been a long-running affair. It began in 2013 when I photographed the exterior, but found photography was prohibited inside. I updated the partially completed site in 2016 and again in 2020, but it was not until this year (2023) that I managed to photograph the interior. This now completes my site for St Mary’s as well as my project of photographing all the Australian cathedrals.
As seen in this overview, the Cathedral is oriented almost exactly due north – south. Many documents relating the St Mary’s use this geographical orientation. However, with all the cathedrals photographed here, we have used liturgical directions: North, South, East, West with capital letters, and with the sanctuary pointing due East (rather than geographical north). This may seem confusing, but as explained elsewhere, use of liturgical directions means that every cathedral can be described in a way understood by a viewer with no knowledge of the cathedral’s actual orientation.
Ignoring the additions at top right, we find that the Cathedral has a cruciform shape, although this is more evident outside than in. There is a central tower, and two Western spires. The Cathedral is placed adjacent to beautiful Hyde Park, with the Archibald Fountain shown here.
This excellent plan of St Mary’s is worth perusing. The original can be found here:
https://heritagensw.intersearch.com.au/heritagenswjspui/bitstream/1/10260/1/H09575%20-%20STMA.pdf
You might like to return to this from time to time as you wander through the Cathedral with me.
I do find there is a problem with Item 5 of the Plan: the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. There seems to be little doubt that the space adjacent to the Great East Window (#6) was designed to be the Lady Chapel. No other Lady Chapel is indicated, there is a mosaic ‘MR’ in the tiling, and some file photos have a statue of the Madonna and Child placed in this area.
After walking around the outside of the Cathedral, we shall enter by the West door (#18), explore the nave (#16), return to the crossing (#13), follow around the chancel aisles and ambulatory in an anticlockwise direction, and finally return to the sanctuary (##1, 2).
Finally, a history of the Cathedral is referenced below. However, if you wish to begin your tour of the Cathedral immediately, tap / click on START . You can also access intermediate points in the tour by a tap / click on the following links:
HISTORY
[Wikipedia]
The Cathedral Church
The Cathedral Church and Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Mother of God, Help of Christians (colloquially, St Mary’s Cathedral) is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney and the seat of the Archbishop of Sydney, currently Anthony Fisher OP. It should not be confused with the nearby, later, Anglican St Andrew’s Cathedral. It is dedicated to the ‘Immaculate Mother of God, Help of Christians’, Patroness of Australia and holds the title and dignity of a minor basilica, bestowed upon it by Pope Pius XI on 4 August 1932.
St Mary’s has the greatest length of any church in Australia (although it is neither the tallest nor largest overall). It is located on College Street near the eastern border of the Sydney central business district in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales. Despite the high-rise development of the central business district, the Cathedral’s 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 who consecrated the new forward altar. The Cathedral was designed by William Wardell and built from 1866 to 1928. It is also known as St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral and Chapter House, and St Mary’s Cathedral. The property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 3 September 2004.
For an extensive history of St Mary’s, and information about the building follow this link ... .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mary%27s_Cathedral,_Sydney
Click here to view five historic photos.
