41. SAINTS

Traditionally St Anna (Anne) is the mother of Mary, and St Joachim is her husband. They are shown here in the Mission Chapel.    PLAN

42. BELL

Most cathedrals have a bell which is used to announce the beginning of a worship service. This bell looks as though it might have a history, but I don’t know what it is!

43. CHAPEL OF THE CHINESE MARTYRS

We bypass the (private) sacristy and come to this chapel. The altar has two interesting sculptures above, there are two stained glass windows, two saints, and a portrait in the foreground. The altar came from the old Church of Immaculate Conception, and was moved to the Cathedral in 1888. The top sculpture is ‘The Pietà’, and the lower statue is known as the ‘Merciful Jesus’ statue. The altar is ‘Our Lord’s Passion Altar’. The altar itself is shaped like a coffin. On its side is a carving of a lamb crouching on a book. The meaning of the carving is that only the self-sacrifice of the Son of God can help us understand the mystery of God’s amazing love.

44. CHAPEL SAINTS

These saints are St Jude at left, and St Louis of France (1214-1270). At his coronation as king of France, Louis IX bound himself by oath to behave as God’s anointed, as the father of his people and feudal lord of the King of Peace.

45. CHAPEL WINDOWS

The window on the left shows six early Chinese evangelists. These stand for tens of thousands of witnesses of God in China. The window on the right shows seven martyrs of China, representing 120 martyrs who gave their lives for Christ.

46. CHRIST BEARS HIS CROSS

This sculpture of Christ bearing his Cross is a graphic focal point for this chapel.

47. PIETÀ

Also above the altar is this depiction of Mary cradling the body of the crucified Jesus. The spear and the sponge lean against the cross behind.

48. CHAPEL ALTAR DETAIL

The Latin translates to: Of our Lord Jesus Christ oppressed by the Cross, and his suffering Mother. Dedicated to J. J. Braga AD 1865. This chapel was originally ‘the Chapel of our Lord’s Passion’.

49. PORTRAIT

The identity of the man in the portrait is unknown to me. Relics of 16 Chinese martyrs are stored in the Cathedral in a specially designed relic box.

50. FOUR EVANGELISTS CHAPEL

Finally, at the end of the South aisle is the Four Evangelists Chapel. Again on the outer wall there are four saints and four stained glass windows.

51. FOUR SAINTS

The four saints depicted here are (from the left): St Bruno (1030-1101), St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660), St J B de la Salle (1651-1719), and St Aloysius Gonzaga (1568-1591).

52. CHAPEL ALTAR

Some of these chapels have been renamed over the years. This chapel was once the Memorial Chapel. Notice the Coat of Arms at the top.

53. ST JOSEPH ALTAR

The altar figure is St Joseph and the child Jesus. This altar is decorated with the Coat of Arms of the House of Savoy, and was a gift from the then future King of Italy. This connection helped save the Cathedral in WWII.

54. FOUR EVANGELIST CHAPEL WINDOWS

The windows of the Four Evangelists Chapel make a bright display.

55. CHAPEL WINDOWS DETAIL

These windows show the Four Evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The names are included in the scrolls inside the crowns. The windows were made in Verona in 1984.

56. EAST OF THE ALTAR

There is one remaining area of this Cathedral to investigate – a smaller gathering area East of the sanctuary. This area is lit by high clerestory windows.

57. REAR ALTAR

Every cathedral needs a smaller area for small congregations. We find here a small altar, and another processional cross.

58. PROCESSIONAL CROSS

This cross too has the crucified Christ in central position, and what appears to be the Four Evangelists at the ends. The INRI sign hangs above Christ’s head, standing for ‘Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews’.

59. THE TRUE VINE

We turn our attention to the back of the large central icon cross. The true vine (Jn 15) has Christ at the centre surrounded by his twelve disciples. Near the base of the vine are two Chinese rmartyrs: Father Zhao Rong and Father Yuan Zai-de. .     

60. CROSS ICON

The focal point of the nave is this crucifix constructed in the form of a traditional icon. The cross has INRI (INBI) across the top, and pictures of St Mary and presumably St John at the ends of the cross bar. This completes our tour of the Cathedral.