21. CORNER PAINTING AND TAPESTRY
Next to him is a painting of another male holding a crucifix and standing by a manuscript propped up by a skull. On the other side is a woven ‘tondo’ – a circular piece of art from the 19th century, showing Mary in front of the cross. WIth bad judgement I photographed the notice and not the art ... epic fail! [If anyone can supply a photograph of the artwork, I will gladly add it here. INDEX
22. ENTRY TO BAPTISTRY
In the Southwest corner is the entry to the baptristry. Several paintings are on display here. At left is a paining by Gene Eggen showing Veronica holding up a cloth with the imprint of the features of Jesus – an old legend in the Catholic tradition.
23. PAINTINGS IN BAPTISTRY ENTRY
Various other artworks are on display in this corner. Details are missing, but the tiling at left shows the flight of Joseph, Mary and the baby Jesus into Egypt. The dark paintng at the centre shows the Nativity. The three paintings on the adjacent wall may refer to Hagar and her expulsion into the wilderness.
24. JOSEPH AND JESUS
St Joseph holding the child Jesus stands in a cramped corner on the way into the baptistry. Jospeh is identified by the budding sprig he carries – a reference to an old legend.
25. TO THE BAPTISTRY
Metal gates guard the colurful baptistry. Baptism is regarded as the initiation rite into the Christian life and into the Church.
27. BAPTISTRY FLOOR
The Cathedral makes good use of shiny reflecting marble.
28. SOUTH NAVE WINDOWS
The side windows of the Cathedral, designed and made by Gerry Cummins and Jill Stehn, present the theme of Creation in Genesis I & 2. This Creation theme provides the whole space with a sense of unity ... the design is continuous. It starts at the front right of the sanctuary (left in this view), flowing and unfolding around the cathedral while incorporating the ‘Peace Window’. The first six windows were deliberately designed and painted to be dark. These windows centre on images from deep Space.
29. SOUTH NAVE WINDOWS DETAIL I
From left ... . (1) This window expresses emptiness, the void, darkness. It is a wholly alien world. There are some intimations of dust clouds. In front of these are twisting shapes to suggest twining rope, or umbilical cords, or strands of proteins from which DNA and life itself will form. (2) God said, 'Let there be light', and there was light. God saw that light was good, and God divided light from darkness.’ (Genesis 1:3). The clear white centre of the cross is a prism which when struck by the afternoon sunlight casts sprays of rainbow lights on the floor of the cathedral. This is light itself. This is the first act of Creation. (3) The Hubble Space Telescope is revolutionising our understanding of Space. It has provided this striking image of three pillars of dust from the heart of the ‘Eagle’ nebula. In these ‘Pillars of Creation’, trillions of kilometres high, stars are being born. Here are images of Creation on a grand scale. (4) The red band of photo-ionised hydrogen is a dominant feature in these windows. Above this band is a spiral galaxy viewed from above, as our own ‘Milky Way’ would look. Between the spiral arms in the deep Space background are astronomical fantasies along with many realities such as ‘The Southern Cross’ and the ‘Pointers’. (5) & (6) Our sun is but one of the stars in this spiral galaxy. Spinning out from this galaxy are the four inner planets in our solar system, Mercury, Venus, Mars and our own fragile planet Earth with its silvery Moon. In the vast anonymity of Space the presence of our own friendly blue planet is a welcoming homecoming among all this vastness.
30. SOUTH NAVE WINDOWS DETAIL II
(7) Now appear the outer planets of our solar system - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. (8) God said, ‘Let the waters under heaven come together into a single mass and let dry land appear’. And so it was ... . From the dust of Space emerges a symmetrical volcanic cinder cone. The ash and weirdly coloured clouds suggest a huge chemical experiment. The colours represent the Earth's minerals - gold, bauxite, iron, copper. The ash itself begins to form soil. (9) Another volcano explodes. Its red rivers of fire flow across the windows and consolidate the land into locally recognizable forms such as the Undara Lava Tubes. (10) & (11) The strong vertical dust cloud columns of previous windows now become more familiar horizontal layers of sky, land and sea.
31. NORTH NAVE WINDOWS
We now turn our attention to the windows of the North wall. The ceation story continues to the right of the Peace window. These windows begin with another trio of themes - landscape, flora and fauna.
32. NORTH NAVE WINDOWS DETAIL I
(13) = (1) This window shows the Normanton grassland behind which is the Gulf of Carpentaria and above it the unique Morning Glory cloud formation. In the foreground are hard heat-chiselled rocks. God said, 'Let the earth produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants, and fruit trees bearing fruit with their seed inside, on the earth'. And so it was. (Gen 1:11) The first flora is a fossilised stromatalite, forming a link to the reef in the previous window. (2) – (5) God said, 'let birds fly above the earth’ (Gen 1:20). Plants and trees flourish. (6) God said, 'Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild beasts and all the reptiles that crawl upon the earth.... ’ (Genesis 1/26) Echoing Genesis’ emphasis that humanity is the centre of creation, humanity is placed in the very centre of these windows, and is also in the centre of a circle of animals.
33. NORTH NAVE WINDOWS DETAIL II
(7) So God completes his work of creation. This window shows a tranquil, restful evening scene. But not quite ... two exiles leave the Garden. (8)–(12) In the sky above the exiles, something extraordinary is happening. The violet of the evening sky is changing shape and intimates for the first time that the entire created world is being drawn towards its finality. The sky bursts into life as the physical world melts away. The clouds, the sunset, the mountains, leaves and tree trunks are all inexorably intensified in colour and drawn in a perfect spiral to a point of brilliant light in the final image of the windows. All things are returning to God. ‘What you have come to is nothing known to the senses; not a blazing fire, or a gloom turning to total darkness, or a storm; or trumpeting thunder or the great voice speaking which made everyone that heard it beg that no more should be said to them... you have come to God.’ (Hebrews 12:18,19,23)
35. COLOURS
The Cathedral hosts the Colours of the 51st Battalion, the Far North Queensland Regiment. They were put to rest here in 1969 in this War Memorial Cathedral.
36. AMBO
Many cathedrals have a pulpit for proclaiming the Gospel, and a lectern for notices and reading the Scripture. Catholic cathedrals often have a single ambo which combines these two functions in one. This ambo has a small guardian standing nearby.
37. PASCHAL CANDLE
The Paschal candle illustrates that Jesus is the light of the world. In the Church Year, it comes into prominence over the Easter period. The candle stand is particularly interesting here. It is modern, but what does it represent? A tongue of fire? A fish hook? Or a little plant bursting forth from its seed?
38. PROCESSIONAL CROSS
Cathedrals which have ceremonial processions, usually have a processional cross in the lead. This may be a plain cross, or, as here, a crucifix.
39. SANCTUARY ALTAR
The central focus in this Cathedral is the altar with the sanctuary crucifix above. The bishop’s cathedra sits behind. Many older cathedrals have a nave altar and a high altar. In this Cathedral the two are combined. From here the Eucharist is administered to those in the congregation.
40. CATHEDRA
The bishop’s chair was presented to St Mary’s church, Cooktown, by a merchant/businessman, Mr Ambrose J Madden. Cooktown was then seat of bishop as the Vicariate of Cooktown. In 1940, Fr Thomas Hunt OSA, anticipating that Cairns would soon become a diocese, suggested to Bishop John Heavey OSA that ‘The Throne’ be brought down to Cairns. When the Diocese of Cairns was declared on the 8th July 1941, St Monica’s became a cathedral and this historic throne was already installed. The chair was transferred to its present position in St Monica’s Cathedral in 1968 and is one of our treasures of the past.