St Peter's Church, Eastern Hill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Peter's Church |
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| St Peter's Eastern Hill | |
St Peter's Church tower
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| Country | Australia |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Churchmanship | Anglo-Catholic |
| Membership | Anglican Church of Australia |
| History | |
| Status | Church |
| Founded | 18 June 1846 |
| Founder(s) | Charles La Trobe |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Years built | 1846 – 1876 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Melbourne |
St Peter's Church, Eastern Hill is an Anglican church located in East Melbourne, Victoria. It sits at the corner of Albert and Gisborne Streets. This church is part of the Diocese of Melbourne.
The church's history as a parish goes back to 1847. In 1848, Queen Victoria declared Melbourne a city. This announcement was made on the steps of St Peter's Church. The church is known for following the Anglo-Catholic tradition.
Because of its central spot in Melbourne, St Peter's helps the community in many ways. It provides chaplains for hospitals, universities, and even for the government. The church also runs a breakfast program to help people experiencing homelessness in the city.
Contents
Where is St Peter's Church?
The church is found on the corner of Albert and Gisborne Streets. This area is known as the eastern hill of Melbourne. On one side, it is across from St Patrick's Cathedral, which is a Roman Catholic church. On the other side, you'll find the Eastern Hill Fire Station. Even though it's close to the city center, people come to St Peter's from all over Melbourne and even from other countries.
A Look at History
St Peter's is the oldest Anglican church in inner Melbourne that is still on its first site. The first stone was laid by Charles La Trobe on June 18, 1846. The church started holding services in 1847, even before the first part was finished in 1848.
During the gold rush years, many people came to Melbourne. About 400 baptisms and a similar number of weddings happened at the church each year. In 1854, the building was made bigger to hold up to 1050 people. Some of this space was in upper sections called galleries, which were removed in 1896. The last additions to the building were made in 1876.
The first house for the vicar (the priest in charge) was built in 1849. A school building was also built on land that was later bought by the government in 1884. After that, the current vicarage and a new school building (now called Keble House) were built.
Important Leaders and Changes
Henry Handfield was the vicar for a very long time, from 1854 to 1900. Under his leadership, St Peter's became known for its great choir music. The church also started doing more to help people in the city. For example, the Sisters of the Holy Name began working in the parish in the 1880s. During this time, St Peter's was a "high church," meaning it had more traditional services, but it was still quite simple.
Famous opera singer Nellie Melba took organ lessons at the church when she was a schoolgirl. The writer Henry Handel Richardson also attended St Peter's. She even wrote about her experiences there in her book The Getting of Wisdom.
In 1900, Ernest Selwyn Hughes became the vicar (1900-1926). He made the church more clearly Anglo-Catholic. He introduced a "High Mass" as the main Sunday service. This included special robes (vestments) and the use of incense. His ideas about Christian Socialism were further developed by the next vicar, Farnham Edward Maynard (1926-1964). Maynard shared his ideas through books and radio.
In 1933, Maynard helped the Brotherhood of St Laurence, a small religious group, come to work in the Fitzroy part of the parish. This group has grown and now helps many people in Melbourne. The welcoming and inclusive ideas of Hughes and Maynard still guide the church today.
The church has a beautiful stained glass window. It shows parts of the Catholic revival up to the early 1900s. One part of the window shows Marian Hughes. She was the first woman to take religious vows since the Reformation. The window shows her making her vows to Edward Pusey.
Music at St Peter's
St Peter's is famous for its excellent music. The Choir of St Peter's Eastern Hill is made up of volunteers. This mixed choir leads the music for church services every Sunday and on special weekdays.
The choir's main role is at the 11 am High Mass each Sunday. A singer called a cantor also sings at the 9:30 am Mass, which is more focused on families. On Sundays at 5:00 pm, there is an Evensong service. This service features many different music styles. These range from simple plainsong to traditional English Evensong music.
The choir often performs music from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. This includes composers like Dufay, Palestrina, Victoria, Byrd, Monteverdi, Gesualdo, Handel, and Bach. They also sing many Mass settings by Mozart and Haydn. The choir also performs works from later periods, including those by Schubert, Howells, Fauré, Pärt, and Britten. They also include new music from Australian composers.
Plainsong is a very important part of the sung services at St Peter's. It is a key part of the church's worship and traditions.
Images for kids
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St Peter's Church tower
See also
- List of Anglo-Catholic churches
