Holy Name Cathedral, Brisbane facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Holy Name Cathedral |
|
|---|---|
Holy Name Cathedral, original design of 1925
|
|
| General information | |
| Type | Cathedral (never completed) |
| Architectural style | English Baroque |
| Address | Gotha and Gipps, Ann and Wickham Streets, Fortitude Valley, Queensland |
| Country | Australia |
| Coordinates | 27°27′35″S 153°01′58″E / 27.4596°S 153.0327°E |
| Construction started | 14 September 1928 |
| Construction stopped | c. 1930s |
| Owner | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Jack Hennessy |
| Architecture firm | Hennessy, Hennessy & Co |
| Main contractor | Concrete Constructions |
The Holy Name Cathedral was a large Roman Catholic church that was planned for Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. However, it was never fully built. It was designed by the company Hennessy, Hennessy & Co. The design was inspired by the grand St Paul's Cathedral in London.
The Holy Name Cathedral was meant to be the biggest church of any Christian group in the Southern Hemisphere. James Duhig, who was the Archbishop of Brisbane, was the main person pushing for this huge project.
The first plans were made in 1925, and building started in 1927. In the 1930s, church services were held in a special underground room called a crypt chapel. This crypt was the only part of the cathedral that was ever finished. No more construction happened after that. When Archbishop Duhig died in 1965, the project lost its main supporter. It was officially given up in the 1970s.
In 1985, the Catholic Church in Brisbane sold the land to builders. The crypt was taken down, and an apartment complex was built there instead. Today, only the outer walls along Ann Street and part of Gotha Street remain. These walls are important historical items and were added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992.
Contents
Archbishop Duhig: The Builder
Archbishop James Duhig was known for building many new churches, hospitals, and schools in Brisbane. People even called him "Duhig the Builder." He started many projects, like the Convent of the Sacred Heart and St Vincent's Hospital.
He also built churches such as the Church of Saint Ignatius Loyola in Toowong and the Corpus Christi Church in Nundah. In Fortitude Valley, he had the Villa Maria Convent built between 1927 and 1928. Duhig also added an apse and sanctuary to the existing Cathedral of St Stephen, Brisbane in 1922, making it larger.
Choosing the Cathedral Site
The land chosen for the Holy Name Cathedral was a good spot. It was on a small hill just outside the main city area, in the suburb of Fortitude Valley. The site was surrounded by Gotha, Gipps, Ann, and Wickham Streets.
A house called "Dara" was built there in 1850. In 1859, it became the home of Brisbane's first Catholic Bishop, James Quinn. Later, in 1890, a bigger house with the same name was built for the second bishop, Robert Dunne. Archbishop Duhig lived in this house from 1917 until he had it taken down to make space for his new Holy Name Cathedral.
Part of the land on Gipps Street, where the cathedral's crypt was later built, used to belong to Simon Kreutzer. He sold it cheaply to the Brisbane Town Council. They thought about building a new town hall there. However, the mayor, Charles Moffatt Jenkinson, decided to build the Brisbane City Hall at Albert Square instead. To make sure of this, he sold the Fortitude Valley site to the Catholic Church for the cathedral.
Cathedral Design and Size
The Holy Name Cathedral was designed by the Sydney-based architecture company Hennessy, Hennessy & Co.
It was planned to be the "largest sacred building in the Commonwealth of Australia." It would have been about 330 feet (100 m) long, 220 feet (67 m) wide, and 269 feet (82 m) high. The cathedral was designed to hold 4,000 people. This would have made it slightly smaller than Saint Joseph's Oratory in Montreal, Canada, which is 344 by 213 feet (105 by 65 m). Construction on St Joseph's had just started in 1924.
A magazine called Building showed the plans and a drawing of the cathedral on September 12, 1927. The drawing at the top of this article is from the first design in 1925. The final design, shown in the 1927 plans, was a bit simpler.
The Holy Name Cathedral, Brisbane design as published 1927:
-
Elevation (side view)
-
Section (cut-through view)
-
Plan (top-down view)
Benedict Stone: A Special Building Material
Benedict stone was a special material used for building fronts of buildings. It was made from a mix of cement and crushed Brisbane tuff, which is a type of rock. It was a cheaper choice than using full stone.
Archbishop James Duhig started a company called Benedict Stone (Qld) Pty Ltd. This company was set up to make the stone needed for the Holy Name Cathedral. The idea for Benedict stone came from an American company around 1900. Duhig got permission to use the idea and opened the Benedict Stone factory in Bowen Hills on August 9, 1929.
In 1930, a company called Colonial Mutual Life (CML) loaned Duhig a lot of money. This loan was secured by his properties, including the stone factory. CML then used Benedict stone to build some of their offices in Australia. This helped Duhig pay back some of his loan. CML also hired Jack Hennessey, who was Duhig's architect, and Concrete Constructions (Qld) Ltd, who were Duhig's builders for the cathedral.
Construction Begins
The concrete foundations for the cathedral were laid in 1927. A special ceremony took place on September 14, 1928, to lay the foundation stone. About 35,000 people came to watch Cardinal Cerretti, a representative of the Pope, perform the ceremony.
However, fundraising became very difficult because of the Great Depression, which started in late 1929. Money was also lost due to bad investments in oil wells near Roma. Because of these money problems, the grand dream of the cathedral could not come true.
Even so, Archbishop Duhig managed to raise enough money to build the crypt on the site. This underground chapel was finished in 1934. In August 1935, Duhig blessed the main altar in the crypt. But after this, fundraising efforts stopped almost completely.
Why Construction Stopped
The Holy Name Cathedral project faced many problems over the years. In 1949, the architect, Jack Hennessy, sued for money he was owed. In 1950, the court ordered that he be paid a large sum.
The cathedral was never completed. In 1985, the Catholic Church in Brisbane sold the land to property developers. An apartment complex called "Cathedral Place" was then built on the site.
The outer walls of the cathedral, which had decorative railings on top, along Ann Street and part of Gotha Street, were saved. These remaining parts of the cathedral were recognized as important historical items in 1992.
Today, Cathedral of St Stephen, Brisbane in the city center is still the main Catholic church in Brisbane. The original foundation stones of the Holy Name Cathedral were moved. They are now placed in St Stephen's Cathedral, near the entrance to the Eucharist Chapel.
Images for kids
-
Elevation
-
Section
-
Plan
See also
In Spanish: Catedral del Santo Nombre (Brisbane) para niños
