All Saints Anglican Church

All Saints Anglican Church is located at 32 Wickham Terrace. As it is Easter, I thought it appropriate to do another post about an historic church. The present church, the oldest existing Anglican Church in Brisbane, was opened for worship in 1869, replacing an earlier structure of 1862. The original church was a small rubble structure, designed by architect by Benjamin Backhouse. In 1869 architect Richard Suter designed the alterations, which effectively turned into almost a complete rebuild in Gothic style.

The Church was designated as All Saints in 1869. The east end of the church contains the oldest stained glass in Brisbane, installed in 1870. The interior contains examples of hammer-beam roof construction, which is rare in Australia. Artwork includes plaster Stations of the Cross by well known Brisbane sculptor Daphne Mayo, and Christ accepting his Cross in the forecourt. The inscription on the western side of the church reads. DOMUS MEA DOMUS ORATIONIS (My House shall be called a House of Prayer).

I found it interesting that whilst researching this church, although it is Anglican (Church of England) there is a strong tie to the Catholic Church in their services. As their website proclaims, they aim to remind all Anglicans of their historic claim to be an integral part of the Catholic Church. My ignorance is such that when I think Anglican I think of Henry VIII. The church itself is part of the historical fabric of Brisbane. I find it fascinating that of most things which are historically retained in our cities, it is usually the churches which remain in much greater ratios than other buildings.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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Reverend James O'Quinn

In the yard of the Cathedral of St Stephen is a sculpture honoring the Right Reverend James O'Quinn who was first Catholic Bishop of Brisbane. The Cathedral History outlines how the first St Stephen’s church became a cathedral when James Quinn was appointed first bishop of the diocese in 1859. He arrived in Brisbane on Friday night 10th May 1861 and, the following Sunday in St Stephen’s, took possession of the diocese. Two and a half years later, on the feast of Stephen in 1863, he laid the foundation stone of a bigger cathedral.

Bishop Quinn was born on the 17th March 1819 at Rathbane, County Kildare, Ireland. He was consecrated in Dublin on the 29th of June, 1859. In 1860 there were only two priests, two churches, two small schools, and 7,676 Catholics, out of a total population of 28,056. He established a Catholic paper, "The Australian", funded two orphanages and an industrial school, erected the cathedral of St. Stephen, and created and conserved rich educational and other endowments. State aid was finally withdrawn from all denominational schools with the close of the year 1880; but at his death, 18th August, 1881, there were 52 Catholic primary schools in the diocese, attended by 6,510 children.

In researching Bishop Quinn, it is true he achieved a great many things during his time in Brisbane. However, he wasn't without his detractors. His religious zeal, and his founding of the Queensland Immigration Society which brought out ten ships with about 6000 migrants, mainly Irish, didn't endear him to all and sundry. He seemed to court controversy both within and outside the church during his time as Bishop. He is a significant part of Brisbane's early history, and has left a lasting legacy with the establishment of the Cathedral.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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St Stephen Cathedral Bell

After visiting the Cathedral of St Stephen during last week, one of my colleagues commented that I should do a post on the Cathedral Bell located on the same site. We went back and visited today, so here it is!

The bell had a hundred year history within the Cathedral from 1888 to 1988. It was cast at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, famous also for casting of the American Liberty Bell. It was brought to Australia in 1887 on the R.M.S. Dacca. Its weight is 2856kg.

Today, the bell sits on concrete pillars in the courtyard of the Cathedral. It has an imposing and virtually immovable position, given its weight and size. It hasn't necessarily been untainted by sitting outside the bell tower, with a certain level of graffiti on the outer casing. It is still an impressive piece of metal, and it would have been great to hear its peal around the area over those 100 years.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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The Cathedral of St Stephen

The Cathedral of St Stephen is part of the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane. In addition to the Cathedral, the site bounded by Elizabeth, Charlotte and Edward Streets contains numerous buildings that support the Archdiocese. The cathedral was built between 1864 and 1922 in 19th century neo-Gothic style, with extensions made in 1989. Bishop Quinn, the first bishop of the diocese, laid the foundation stone of the cathedral on the feast of St Stephen, 26 December 1863.

The Cathedral is part of the history of Brisbane, and is registered as one of the city's heritage sites. There are a number of significant artworks within the Cathedral. The sculptures were commissioned from Brisbane artist, John Elliott. The Carrara marble baptismal font and sculpture is by Melbourne artist, Peter Schipperheyn, as are the Cathedra (Bishop's Chair), Ambo and Altar. The fine collection of nineteenth century stained glass came from Germany, France, Ireland and England. There are also aboriginal paintings, which recognise the search for God by Indigenous Australians, over 40 000 years before white settlement. Daily tours are available at 10.30am Monday to Friday, and after masses each Sunday.

As I've said before, I'm not a very religious person, however in looking at architecture and buildings around Brisbane some of the most spectacular is related to the Church. I hadn't been inside a church for a long while, and I was awestruck by the magnificence of the insides of the chapel. The stained glass windows, the Christ sculpture and the organ literally take your breath away. I was fortunate in that the cathedral was mostly empty, so I was able to saviour the delights largely by myself.

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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Christ Accepting His Cross

On Wickham Terrace, just up from the intersection of Ann Street, is the All Saints Anglican Church. At the rear of the church is one of the most powerfully emotional sculptures I have come across. Entitled Christ Accepting His Cross, the sculpture depicts Christ standing at the Cross with the sculptor capturing in his posture and face a sense of the vast emotions which would overcome any man or woman with knowledge of their fate to be.

Andor Mészáros (1900-1972) was a Hungarian architect and sculptor who arrived in Australia in 1939. He has various sculptures located throughout Australia, as well as turning his hand to designing medallions. He cast this piece in bronze and the plaque at the site details how it was erected in 1962 to commemorate the centenary of the church, being unveiled on the 8/9/62. I am amazed at how well this sculpture has retained its lustre and image over the past 40 plus years.

Again, I'd reiterate that I'm not a religious person, however this image of Christ contemplating the cross and what we know is to befall him is quite evocative. The cross itself is quite simple. It is the image of the man at the bequest of his faith which elicits the emotional response. In the Anglican Church image archives they note that "Mészáros has treated the figure so that it can also represent any individual, or the whole of humanity, as questions of meaning and purpose are raised."

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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Albert Street Uniting Church

I have to admit that I'm not a very religious person, but I do love the architecture of churches. In most cities, you find an interesting juxtaposition of mostly old style churches backdropped againt modern architectural giants. Brisbane is no exception, as can be seen from this photo of the Uniting Church located at the intersection of Albert and Ann Streets, opposite King George Square. Built in 1889 the church is noted for the intricacy and stories of its stained glass windows. Further, the church also houses its original pipe organ which had been Manchester in the U.K. and installed in 1889. The original pipework has been retained, but with additions over time now has 2,250 pipes.

As part of the Wesley Mission, the church has been a haven for the needy for well over a century now. As early as 1906, the church established the Sisters of the People whose charter was to give help and relief to the poor, starving and destitute. This is a very noble cause. The building is also registered on the Queensland Heritage listings.

Part of the reason I like this particular church is not only for its Victorian Gothic architecture style, but also because of the attached Lion's Den Cafe. The cafe acts as a non-profit, all ages live music venue and they definitely cater for a wide range of styles. One of my friend's bands, Say Nothing, have played a number of all ages gigs there .

Cheers, I Love Brisbane, Wes.

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