A Beauty To Behold

St Paul’s Cathedral is an Anglican Church located at the eastern corner of Swanston & Flinders Street in central Melbourne, Australia.

The Central spire named the Moorhouse Spire was completed to its full height of 95m in 1932 & consecrated during a Thanksgiving service on 30th Apr 1933. St Paul’s Cathedral is situated in a prominent spot diagonally from the Flinders Street Station which remains an important transport hub since the 19th century.

The spires are built from Sydney sandstone & are 40 years newer; their colour is different & darker than the older parts of the building which is a lighter grey in colour, built from a different sandstone imported from other states.

The location of this cathedral marks the place where the 1st Christian service was held in Melbourne in 1835. St Paul’s is the Cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne & the seat of the Archbishop of Melbourne who presides over the Province of Victoria.

The interior of the church features rich colours & bold contrasts which was characteristic of the architect Butterfield’s work. All the stonework was constructed from Waurn Ponds limestone with contrasting stripes of the dark coloured local bluestone. The round Baptismal sprinkling font made of Harcourt granite was installed when the cathedral was built in 1912.

The Chapel of Unity commemorates the visit of Pope John Paul II on 28 Nov 1986 which marks the dialogue between the Anglican & Roman Catholic Churches in Melbourne.

The floor is paved with encaustic tiles imported from the English firm of Maw & Co, featuring both patterned layouts & patterns within the tiles whilst the Dado was created with patterned glazed tiles.

The High Altar, the Dado & Reredos are fine examples of High Victorian polychromy where the use of Devonshire marble, alabaster & glittering Venetian glass mosaics are evident.

An elaborate reredos of religious images made from marble, alabaster & colourful Venetian glass mosaics.

The beautiful pipe organ within the Cathedral.

A reredos to remember those who lost their lives in the fight against CoVid 19.

The plan of St Paul’s is a traditional Latin cross, with a long nave, side aisles, short transepts, a tower at the crossing with the choir below, sanctuary & altar beyond & a pair of spires framing the ceremonial main entrance. Interior looking down The Central aisle to the West End door.

Copper Refuge sculpture by Michael Meszaros with the spikes representing threatening & dangerous forces, forcing the figure against the barrier (vertical corrugation) where there is no escape. The void represents the human who has lost human characteristics & has instead been considered a “non-person” & just a statistic to be dealt with.

This Immersion font was built in 1912 in memory of Field Flowers Goe, the 3rd Bishop of Melbourne.

Different services are held daily & they have a Mandarin language service on Sat 10am.

At the entrance & the Great West end door.

When in Melbourne, do pop in for a visit to St. Paul’s. It is really beautiful inside though it looks dull & imposing on the outside.

“GAIA” the spherical artwork by Luke Jerram which measures 7m in diameter features a detailed NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface. The artwork allows us the opportunity to see our planet on this scale floating in 3 dimensions.

The feeling of awe is similar to that of astronauts who for the first time see the planet earth from space & it is this profound understanding of the interconnection of all life & a renewed sense of responsibility for taking care of our environment & doing our bit to save the earth.

In Greek mythology, GAIA is the personification of the Earth. This exhibition at St Paul’s commenced on 22 Apr & will end on 26 Jun 2022.