[Student Name – Campus - Subject Code – Assignment Title]

ASSIGNMENT TITLE PAGE

TITLE OF
Field Report Assignment
ASSIGNMENT
SUBJECT CODE &
HIS 102 Church History Foundations
TITLE
Student Name: Baruj Gomez

Student ID: S18711

Course: DipMin BMin BTh MA MTh

Campus: City Hills Online

Tutor Name: Adam Dodson

Word Limit: 1200 Actual Word Count: 1260

Submission Details (ALL sections must be completed)
Due Date: 08-04-24 Submission Date: 08-04-24
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 I have achieved 100% on the Plagiarism Test.

 I have read the Academic Integrity and Academic Misconduct Policy and declare that this submission is my own work.
 It contains no material previously published or written by another person except where I have acknowledged.
 It contains no material that I have submitted for any other subject or any other course at a university or HE institution.
 I have adhered to the guidelines applicable to this task and set out in the current Subject Syllabus.
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other application the College deems reliable.

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Signed: Date: 08-04-24

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I have read and understand these Sign: Baruj Gomez Date: 08-04-24
additional policies.

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[Begin typing or paste your assignment here – delete this text]

“I hereby declare that I visited the site, St. Mary’s Cathedral, on Friday 29th March 2024 and

that all photographs, site material, brochures, etc. were taken directly from the site.”

Signed: Baruj Gomez.

Date: April 8, 2024.

Report

Short abstract

This essay describes Baruj Gomez's visit to St. Mary's Cathedral on March 29, 2024, and

contains a report on the cathedral's history and significance. The Cathedral Church of Saint

Mary, located in Sydney, Australia, honours the Blessed Virgin Mary and is known as one of

the world's largest English Gothic monuments. It was built in 1900 and consecrated in 1905.

Its history dates back to 1820, when Father John Joseph Terry began construction to provide

hope to prison immigrants. Despite financial difficulties and a disastrous fire in 1865, plans

for a new cathedral were created, culminating in its current splendour, constructed by

architect William Wardell under the supervision of Bishop Polding, Australia's first Catholic

Bishop.

Introduction

The Cathedral Church of Saint Mary is a church consecrated to God in honour of the Blessed

Virgin Mary Immaculate and Help of Christians.1 It is situated on College Street, at the

eastern boundary of the Sydney central business district, in the City of Sydney local

1
“Acta Apostolicae Sedis - 1933. A.A.S.,” accessed April 8, 2024,
https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/index_ge.htm.
3

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government area of New South Wales, Australia.2 This cathedral, often regarded as the

world's largest ecclesiastical structure in the English Gothic style, was officially inaugurated

in September 1900 and consecrated in 1905.3

Historical Context

On May 3, 1820, Father John Joseph Terry, founder of Saint Mary’s chapel better known

as the “The First Saint Mary’s”, applied for a grant of land to establish a church with the

intention of providing hope to the early convict settlers of the colony of New South Wales in

Australia.4 Governor Lachlan Macquarie granted the petition for land the same year, and the

foundation stone was placed in October 1821. The church was going to be designed by

Francis Greenway (1777-1837), a famous colonial architect; however, Therry rejected his

proposal.5

Although Therry worked tirelessly on the church's construction, he was not a competent

businessman, hence James Dempsey, a member of the fund-raising committee, had to finance

the work and pay the labourers. Due to poor fundraising efforts, the church did not receive a

roof until 1831. The first mass was celebrated in December 1833. The church was elevated to

cathedral status upon the arrival of Bishop Polding, Australia's first Catholic Bishop.6

2
“HMS - ViewItem,” accessed April 8, 2024, https://www.hms.heritage.nsw.gov.au/App/Item/ViewItem?
itemId=5055071.
3
“St Mary’s Cathedral | The Dictionary of Sydney,” accessed April 8, 2024,
https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/st_marys_cathedral.
4
“The Sydney Morning Herald - Sep 26, 1971. Google News Archive Search,” 30, accessed April 8, 2024,
https://news.google.com/newspapers?
nid=1301&dat=19710926&id=IQRkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KuUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2352,9716840&hl=en.
5
“St Mary’s Cathedral | The Dictionary of Sydney.”
6
“St Mary’s Cathedral | The Dictionary of Sydney.”
4

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On the night of 29 June 1865, Saint Mary’s Cathedral is destroyed by fire7 (Figure 1). Plans

for a new, larger cathedral were soon initiated, with Polding approaching architect William

Wardell in October 1865 to design a new structure.

Following Wardell's death in 1899, architects Hennessy & Hennessey were assigned

responsibility for supervising work, and they only slightly modified Wardell's plan.8 Despite

the Cathedral's European origins, Wardell employed Australian native vegetation as a

decorative element to anchor it in its local surroundings. It took nearly 100 years to finish St

Marys, with the first stage completed between 1866 and 1900 and the second between 1912

and 1928.9

St Mary's Cathedral has been in the spotlight since 2000, when Pope Benedict XVI came and

offered a landmark apology for child sex abuse by Catholic priests in Australia, 107 of which

were committed by the courts.10

Architecture

St Mary's is primarily designed in the Geometric Decorated Gothic Revival style of the 19th

century (Figure 2), an architectural style that drew its inspiration

from medieval architecture and competed with the Neoclassical revivals in the United

States and Great Britain and that was originated during the 13th century in England.11

7
“Cathedral Facts,” n.d.
8
“HMS - ViewItem.”
9
“St Mary’s Cathedral Sydney,” St Mary’s Cathedral Sydney (blog), accessed April 8, 2024,
http://stmaryscathedral.org.au/history-art/history-of-the-cathedral/.
10
“AFP: Pope Apologises for ‘evil’ of Child Sex Abuse,” January 12, 2014,
https://web.archive.org/web/20140112181810/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/
ALeqM5jtGYmNq72j_-TNnXfLbSdMgiTPMQ?hl=en.
11
“Gothic Revival | Definition, Style, Architecture, Examples, & Facts | Britannica,” March 22, 2024,
https://www.britannica.com/art/Gothic-Revival.
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It is closely modelled after Lincoln Cathedral and is not a duplicate of a single mediaeval

cathedral, but rather a unique design that integrates elements of its mediaeval predecessors. 12

The Saint Mary's Cathedral measures 107 metres (351 feet) in length. The Nave is 24.3 metres

(80 feet) wide and 22.5 metres (74 feet) tall, with the central tower rising to 46 metres (151

feet). It has 70 interior access doors and 47 outdoor entrances. Sandstone, Oamaru stone (a

compact limestone also known as white stone), marble, alabaster, and Moruya granite, or grey

granite, were among the construction materials employed13 (Figure 2)

The columns of the main arcade are made of the same warm sandstone that was used on the

external and interior walls, as well as the vaulted ceilings of the side aisles and chapels

(Figure 5&7). The chancel ceiling is vaulted with timber, while the nave roof is made of

double hammer beams. Looking up at the ceilings, you will notice many more of the saintly

heads that are also found on the outside walls (Figure 3&4).

Stained Glass Windows

The Cathedral's stained-glass windows were created at Birmingham, England's famous

Hardman Studios and moved to Australia in the late 1880s.

The windows transition stylistically from the Gothic Revival of the nineteenth century to the

more artistic and elegant style of the early twentieth century (Figure 6).14

Crypt

It is a sanctuary and a resting place of some of the most important Australian Catholic leaders.

It was designed by the Melocco Brothers, who brought terrazzo flooring to Australia (Figure

8&9). The beautiful Celtic cross engraved in the Crypt floor measures 42 metres long and 21
12
“St Mary’s Cathedral Sydney.”
13
“Cathedral Facts.”
14
“St Mary’s Cathedral Sydney.”
6

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metres broad. It is further adorned by five medallions showing the days of Creation, as well as

18 smaller medallions illustrating the titles given to Mary, the Cathedral's namesake. 15 The

cross, with its intoxicating mix of complicated swirls and geometric patterns in vivid colours,

exemplifies the inspiration Peter Melocco adapted from the Book of Kels, a gospel document

dating from the sixth to the ninth century.16

Conclusion

The cathedral is a visible manifestation of the church. Sydney residents can attend church for

key life events, as well as throughout the year. People can come to the Cathedral and feel that

it is appropriately resourced, allowing them to celebrate with dedication and respect.

The Cathedral is an ongoing presence and reminder to the entire community, not just the

Catholic faithful, of God, the Gospel, and everything that implies.

I personally like their mission statement that says: “If the Cathedral is going to be a sign of the

Gospel it has to be a place where the Gospel is not only preached but also where people can

encounter it in a living way, people can find the space they need, can find help and

prayerfulness. And that is a mission mainly to the city itself but also to all the visitors as

well.”17

This Field Report has provided a new viewpoint and manner of viewing this church. Studying

the history of the founders (fathers, priests, and governors), their hearts and motives for

bringing the hope of the Gospel to the community, and the numerous hardships they faced

together. The architects' huge contributions to architecture and art, as well as the over 135

years of construction that resulted in the building we see today, offer so much worth and

importance to what I knew as Saint Mary's Cathedral.

15
“St Mary’s Cathedral Sydney.”
16
“St Mary’s Cathedral Sydney.”
17
“St Mary’s Cathedral Sydney.”
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I also got the opportunity to attend one of their Masses, specifically the "Good Friday

Service". And I could pick up more than just information and sources; I could see and hear

what the Catholic community is experiencing. It was certainly satisfying to learn that Therry's

original vision still serves the church's mission today.

Appendix 1

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Figure 1 – Pamphlet about Saint Mary’s Cathedral from Saint Mary’s Cathedral

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Figure 2 – Photo: Baruj Gomez/ Cathedral exterior

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Figure 3 – Photo: Baruj Gomez/ heads

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Figure 4 – Photo: Baruj Gomez/ heads.

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Figure 5 – Photo: Baruj Gomez/ columns inside the cathedral.

13

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Figure 6 – Photo: Baruj Gomez/ stained glass windows.

14

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Figure 7 – Photo: Baruj Gomez/ columns.

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Figure 8 – Photo: Baruj Gomez/ crypt

16

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Figure 9 – Photo: Baruj Gomez/ crypt

17

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Bibliography

“Acta Apostolicae Sedis - A.A.S.” Accessed April 8, 2024.

https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/index_ge.htm.

“AFP: Pope Apologises for ‘evil’ of Child Sex Abuse,” January 12, 2014.

https://web.archive.org/web/20140112181810/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/

article/ALeqM5jtGYmNq72j_-TNnXfLbSdMgiTPMQ?hl=en.

“Cathedral Facts,” n.d.

“Gothic Revival | Definition, Style, Architecture, Examples, & Facts | Britannica,” March 22,

2024. https://www.britannica.com/art/Gothic-Revival.

“HMS - ViewItem.” Accessed April 8, 2024.

https://www.hms.heritage.nsw.gov.au/App/Item/ViewItem?itemId=5055071.

“St Mary’s Cathedral | The Dictionary of Sydney.” Accessed April 8, 2024.

https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/st_marys_cathedral.

St Mary’s Cathedral Sydney. “St Mary’s Cathedral Sydney.” Accessed April 8, 2024.

http://stmaryscathedral.org.au/history-art/history-of-the-cathedral/.

“The Sydney Morning Herald - Google News Archive Search.” Accessed April 8, 2024.

https://news.google.com/newspapers?

nid=1301&dat=19710926&id=IQRkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KuUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2352,971684

0&hl=en.

18

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