St Mary’s Cathedral is a Sydney landmark and one of Australia’s most significant buildings with a history dating back to the 1860s.
Steeped in the history and development of Sydney, architect William Wardell’s masterpiece also includes a breathtaking crypt, remarkable for the beauty of its floor of terrazzo mosaic, magnificent stained glass windows and the heaviest peal of 14 bells hung for change ringing in Australia.
As with many great church buildings, St Mary’s provides a sanctuary for inspiration and a place of reflection with its towering columns and imposing stonework.
History of the Cathedral
Architecture – A church to impress
St Mary’s Cathedral is the spiritual home of Sydney’s Catholic community. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Sydney and stands on the site of the first Catholic Chapel in Australia.
Constructed in local sandstone, the ‘Gothic Revival’ style of its architecture pays respect to the great medieval cathedrals of Europe. St Mary’s is not only a great legacy from the past; but also it is a vital part of the present spiritual and cultural life of the city and the nation.
Architect William Wardell, a convert to Catholicism, was born in 1823, and as an architect in England had become an accomplished practitioner of the Gothic Revival style of architecture.
He came to the Australian colonies in 1858, living and working in Melbourne. Wardell designed several important buildings in Melbourne, including St Patrick’s Cathedral and in Sydney the University of Sydney’s St John’s College stands as further testimony to his skill.
The driving force for the new cathedral, Archbishop Polding wrote to Wardell, “… And now for the design itself of our new cathedral. I have little to say beyond this, that I go to the architect of St John’s College of the University of Sydney to ask him for something that shall again be an honour to himself and the Catholics of the diocese. I leave all to you and your own inspiration in the matter. (Letter of 10 October, 1865).
Constructed of dressed Sydney sandstone, St Mary’s stretches 107 metres in length and the central tower rises to 46 metres. When the spires were built in 2000, the Cathedral soared to 75 metres.
The first stage of the cathedral, the northern section, was built between 1866 and 1900. Stage two, the southern section was completed between 1912 and 1928.
St Mary’s is designed principally in the Geometric Decorated style of Gothic which first evolved around the 13th century. It is not a copy of a particular medieval cathedral, but is a unique design, drawing on certain elements of its medieval forbears. In keeping with many medieval English cathedrals, there is a strong emphasis on the length-wise dimension of the building, while viewed from the side and the front façade, with twin towers flanking a rose window, it is more reminiscent of a typical French cathedral.
The customary east-west orientation of cathedrals was abandoned by Wardell, probably because the fall of the land together with the fact that the great length of the building would have made such an orientation impractical. Instead of being at the eastern end, therefore, the Sanctuary of St Mary’s is located at the northern end of the plan, with the main façade and principal entrance at the southern end.
Even so, the slope of the land and an apparent error in the ‘starting point’ of the building on the site necessitated the addition of a flight of more than 30 steps to the front of the building by the architects, Hennessey & Hennessey, who took responsibility for the completion of the Cathedral to Wardell’s design after his death in 1899.
A visitor to St Mary’s will see many features on the outside of the building: the flying buttresses of the chancel and nave; the canopies and statues in the northern gable, the text of the Ave Maria and other invocations carved high up on the walls; the many carved saintly heads which gaze benignly down, and, way up on the towers and turrets, the more menacing figures of the gargoyles.
Moving inside the church through the main doors, the eye is drawn forward, along the length of the nave, toward the white pinnacles of the High Altar Screen, and the rich colours of the Great North Window beyond.
The columns of the main arcade are of the same warm sandstone as the exterior and interior walls, which has also been used in the vaulted ceilings of the side aisles and chapels. The ceiling of the chancel is vaulted in timber, and the roof of the nave is of double hammerbeam construction. Looking up towards the ceilings, the visitor will notice many more of the saintly heads first seen on the outside walls.
As is usual in Gothic cathedrals, St Mary’s has three levels of arched openings along its length: the high arches of the main arcade, the gallery-like openings of the triforium, and the windows of the clerestory.
At intervals along the nave walls, triple archways lead to the confessional rooms. Small columns of Moruya granite divide these openings. On the eastern side of the Nave, a larger archway forms the entrance to the Baptistery, with its apse-like form and ornate ceiling. Stained glass windows pierce the walls of the nave, transepts and chancel.
In the western nave aisle, stairs lead down to the Crypt, remarkable for the beauty of its floor of terrazzo mosaic. In vaults beneath the floor of the Crypt lie the mortal remains of the deceased Archbishops of Sydney and pioneer priests such as Fr John Joseph Therry, the founder of St Mary’s.
Stained Glass Windows
The stained glass windows of the Cathedral were made in Birmingham, England at the famous Hardman Studios and were brought to Australia in the late 1880’s.
The Great North Window depicting the Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth
This magnificent Great North Window (above) is a beautiful depiction of the Coronation of Our Lady in Heaven with Christ present. At the foot of the throne and surrounding it is the celestial choir, winged and robed in blue (The Blessed Virgin’s colour) singing and playing musical instruments. To the left of Mary are figures of the virgins and holy women of the New Testament, a symbol of Mary’s Virginity. To the right of Our Divine Lord are figures of male saints who by their writings, teachings and by love and devotion advanced, defended and honoured the name of Mary.
This window symbolises that the Blessed Virgin, by her humility, obedience and ready co-operation in the work of Redemption by the Son of God, obtains for us a reversal of the consequences of Original Sin.
Bells
The tower above the intersection of the nave and the transepts contains the bells of the Cathedral. Over the course of the Cathedral’s history, there have been 3 peals of bells all cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry of London. The first of eight bells arrived in Sydney in August 1843, with these bells being the first hung for Change Ringing in Australia and rang for the first time on New Year’s Day in 1844. These bells were replaced in 1882 and a century later an entirely new ring of 14 bells were ordered and rang for the first time in 1986. Change Ringing is the method of bell ringing used at the Cathedral where the bells stand upside down and are pulled by a rope by the bell ringer to allow the bell to rotate and ring in tune with the other bells.
The construction of the central Moran Tower saw the Cathedral Bells moved in 1898 and today the central Moran Tower houses the 14 bells present. The Bells range in weight with the smallest weighing at 281kg whilst the heaviest weighs 1741kg. Each bell is named after a saint of the Church. Another bell is located in the Southern Tower of the Cathedral. This Angelus Bell is one of the original bells of the 1882 peal and is still rung everyday at 12 noon for the Angelus prayer and devotion.
Crypt
The Crypt of St Marys Cathedral is considered by many as the jewel in the crown.
The Crypt is a breathtaking cavern of striking architecture and ornate design. It is highlighted by the magnificent terrazzo floor, considered to be one of the finest mosaic floors in the world.
It was created by the Melocco Brothers, who introduced terrazzo flooring to Australia. The stunning Celtic cross inlayed in the floor of the Crypt is a striking feature 42 metres long by 21 metres wide. It is further adorned by five medallions depicting the days of Creation and on the stems and arms of the cross are 18 smaller medallions illustrating the titles given to Mary, the Cathedral’s namesake. The cross with its heady mix of complex swirls and geometric patterns in exuberant colours highlights the inspiration Peter Melocco translated from the Book of Kels, a manuscript of the gospels which traces its origins from the sixth to ninth centuries.
The Crypt, first and foremost is a sanctuary; the resting place of some of our most important Australian Catholic leaders. From pioneer cleric John Joseph Therry to eight Sydney Archbishops the slabs placed above their graves are masterpieces in their own right with delicately written inscriptions outlining the highlights from the lives of the men who lie beneath.
There are altars to remind one of its solemnity and sacred purpose and the altars, which like the floors, abound in rich symbolism. The base reliefs on the Polding and Kelly Memorial Chapel altars depict various scenes from Jesus’ life including His Passion.
Though mainly known now as a stunning venue for art and liturgical exhibitions, music concerts, weddings and other special events, the venue remains a true artistic masterpiece.
