St Mary's Cathedral

St Mary's stands on the eastern side of Hyde Park, built in local yellow-block sandstone to a Gothic Revival design by William Wardell, with construction beginning in 1868 after fire destroyed the earlier church. It was opened in stages and worked on for well over a century; the twin southern spires, part of the original plan, were only completed in 2000. Inside, the nave runs long and high with stained glass by nineteenth-century English makers, and the crypt below holds a terrazzo mosaic floor laid over fifteen years depicting the six days of creation in Celtic-inspired patterns. The building is the metropolitan cathedral of the Catholic archdiocese and holds daily services.

History

No provision was made for Catholic convicts and settlers in early Sydney, and only in 1820 did two priests arrive with official sanction, Father John Therry staying in Sydney, where, he said, he saw in a vision a great church of golden stone with twin spires. Governor Macquarie laid the foundation stone of the first St Mary's on 29 October 1821 on land east of the town, a church remodelled to designs by Augustus Welby Pugin in 1851, and after it burned on 29 June 1865 William Wardell designed the present cathedral, built from 1866 to 1928; Pope Pius XI made it a minor basilica on 4 August 1932, and Pope Benedict XVI visited on 19 July 2008 (Wikipedia, St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney).

What to look for

• The sandstone exterior - Gothic Revival in Sydney's yellow stone with the 2000 spires.
• The crypt mosaic - the terrazzo creation floor laid over fifteen years.
• The stained glass - nineteenth-century windows along the long nave.
• The Hyde Park setting - the cathedral seen across the park's fig avenues.

When to go

Year-round; the cathedral is open daily and free. Visits are restricted during Mass, and the crypt keeps shorter hours than the main church. Christmas brings a light projection show onto the facade each evening in December.

Practical notes

Services take priority over sightseeing, and parts may be closed without notice. The crypt is not always open when the cathedral is. Photography rules are enforced during worship.

Nearby

Hyde Park is across the road; the Australian Museum stands opposite the southern end.

Key facts