St Mary’s Cathedral: the Gothic cathedral that waited 132 years for its own spires
A Sydney, il governatore Lachlan Macquarie pose la prima pietra di una prima cappella cattolica il 29 ottobre 1821, dopo che padre John Joseph Therry ne aveva ottenuto il terreno l’anno precedente; l’edificio rimase però privo di tetto fino al 1831 e la prima messa vi fu celebrata solo nel dicembre 1833. Quella prima chiesa fu distrutta da un incendio il 29 giugno 1865, di cui le fonti non riportano una causa accertata. L’arcivescovo Polding incaricò nell’ottobre 1865 l’architetto William Wardell, allievo di Pugin, di progettare l’edificio sostitutivo: la prima pietra della cattedrale attuale, in stile neogotico “gotico decorato geometrico” modellato sull’architettura inglese — con il tracciato della vetrata del coro che riproduce da vicino quello della cattedrale di Lincoln — fu posata l’8 dicembre 1868, e l’edificio fu dedicato, sebbene ancora ben lontano dal completamento, l’8 settembre 1882; l’arcivescovo Kelly pose la prima pietra della navata nel 1913, completata e dedicata nel 1928 in concomitanza con il 29° Congresso Eucaristico Internazionale, dopo sessant’anni di lavori. Costruita soprattutto in arenaria di Sydney, con l’uso anche di pietra di Oamaru, marmo e alabastro, la cattedrale custodisce nella cripta un pavimento a mosaico e terrazzo, opera della ditta di Peter Melocco, con un grande disegno a croce celtica di circa 42 per 21 metri e medaglioni che raffigurano i giorni della Creazione e i titoli mariani, descritto come uno dei più grandi pavimenti del genere esistenti. Le due guglie frontali previste nel progetto originario di Wardell non furono mai realizzate durante la sua vita né per decenni successivi, e furono infine completate solo nel 2000, come progetto legato al nuovo millennio, con tecniche costruttive moderne che prevedevano telai in acciaio sollevati con elicotteri; il vero e proprio 150° anniversario della posa della prima pietra fu celebrato separatamente nel 2018. La cattedrale, sede dell’arcivescovo di Sydney, fu visitata da Papa Benedetto XVI il 19 luglio 2008 durante la Giornata Mondiale della Gioventù di Sydney, sebbene l’evento nel suo complesso si sia svolto su più sedi cittadine.
About St Mary’s Cathedral
In Sydney, Governor Lachlan Macquarie laid the foundation stone of a first Catholic chapel on 29 October 1821, after Father John Joseph Therry had secured the land the previous year; the building remained roofless until 1831, however, and its first Mass was not celebrated until December 1833. That first church was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1865, for which no confirmed cause survives in the sources. Archbishop Polding commissioned architect William Wardell, a former student of Pugin, in October 1865 to design its replacement: the foundation stone of the present cathedral, in Gothic Revival style, specifically “Geometric Decorated Gothic” modeled on English precedent — with the chancel window tracery closely replicating that of Lincoln Cathedral — was laid on 8 December 1868, and the building was dedicated, though still far from complete, on 8 September 1882; Archbishop Kelly laid the nave’s foundation stone in 1913, and the nave was completed and dedicated in 1928 to coincide with the 29th International Eucharistic Congress, after sixty years of construction. Built mainly of Sydney sandstone, with Oamaru stone, marble and alabaster also used, the cathedral’s crypt holds a mosaic and terrazzo floor by Peter Melocco’s firm, featuring a large Celtic cross design roughly 42 by 21 metres with medallions depicting the days of Creation and Mary’s titles, described as one of the largest floors of its kind. The two front spires envisioned in Wardell’s original design were never built in his lifetime or for decades afterward, and were finally completed only in 2000, as a millennium project using modern construction methods including steel frames lifted by helicopter; the actual 150th anniversary of the foundation stone was marked separately in 2018. The cathedral, seat of the Archbishop of Sydney, was visited by Pope Benedict XVI on 19 July 2008 during World Youth Day Sydney, though the event as a whole took place across multiple sites in the city.
Key facts
- 1821: foundation stone of a first Catholic chapel laid by Governor Lachlan Macquarie
- 1865: the original chapel destroyed by fire, cause unrecorded
- 1868-1928: the present cathedral built in stages over sixty years, designed by William Wardell
- Crypt mosaic floor, roughly 42 by 21 metres, among the largest of its kind
- 2000: the twin front spires finally completed, 132 years after the foundation stone
- 19 July 2008: visited by Pope Benedict XVI during World Youth Day Sydney
History
St Mary’s construction history, spanning the loss of an entire earlier building to fire and then over 130 years to finally add the spires envisioned in the original design, illustrates how colonial-era cathedrals were often built in fragments across generations rather than as single sustained projects. The 2000 completion of its spires, framed as a millennium undertaking rather than tied to any anniversary of the building itself, closed a design gap that had defined the cathedral’s silhouette for well over a century.
What you see
Sandstone Gothic Revival towers, in a Geometric Decorated style modeled closely on English cathedrals like Lincoln, now carry the twin spires added only in 2000 using modern steel-frame construction lifted into place by helicopter. Below, the crypt’s vast mosaic and terrazzo floor, arranged as a Celtic cross with medallions of the days of Creation, ranks among the largest floors of its type anywhere.
Practical information
- Opening hours: generally open daily outside services; crypt access may be separately ticketed; check current hours before visiting
- Address: St Mary’s Road, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Getting there
St Mary’s Cathedral stands beside Hyde Park in central Sydney, easily reached on foot or by public transport. GPS: 33°52′16″S, 151°12′48″E.
Nearby
- Hyde Park — the central Sydney park facing the cathedral
- Sydney Opera House — the harbourside landmark a short distance away
- Royal Botanic Garden Sydney — the historic garden near the harbour
Sources
- Wikipedia — “St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney” (en.wikipedia.org)
- Dictionary of Sydney — “St Mary’s Cathedral” entry
- St Mary’s Cathedral official site — History & Art, Crypt pages (stmaryscathedral.org.au)
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