St Patrick’s Cathedral
Being there
The original part of this Gothic Revival cathedral was built in the 1850s. It was consecrated in 1897 and the spires added in 1939. It is the largest and tallest church in Australia.
The story
The Cathedral Basílica of Saint Patrick is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne and the seat of its archbishop, currently Peter Comensoli.
Pope Paul VI raised the shrine to the status of minor basilica in 24 July 1974. Pope John Paul II visited the cathedral in 1986.
The cathedral is built on a traditional east–west axis, with the altar at the eastern end, symbolising belief in the resurrection of Christ. The plan is in the style of a Latin cross, consisting of a nave with side aisles, sacristies, transepts with side aisles and a sanctuary with seven chapels.
The cathedral was listed on the Victorian Heritage Register on 5 August 1999.
