The Basilica of St Mary of the Angels, also known as St Mary's Church, is located on Yarra Street in Geelong. The construction of this strikingly beautiful neo-Gothic blue sandstone building was completed in 1937. Today, the Basilica of St Mary of the Angels has the highest spire in Australia, rising 150 feet above the ground. The Basilica ranks 4th on the list of the country's tallest churches. It is also also the tallest building in Geelong - it stands 210 feet from the base. The church received the title of basilica in 2004 after approval from the Vatican, making it the fifth Basilica of Australia.
The first St Mary's Church was a small wooden chapel built in Yarra Street in November 1842. However, the number of parishioners fairly quickly outgrew the chapel's capacity of the chapel, and as early as 1846 a new stone-built church. Soon the gold rush that gripped Geelong required the construction of a much larger cathedral-like church. The architect chosen was Messr Dowden, who began construction in 1854. But the rapid development of the city had already begun to wane, and after two years the building work ceased. For a decade and a half the church stood unfinished. Only in 1871 the erection of the temple resumed. And work on the famous spire began already in the 20th century - in 1931, and were finished in 1937. The bronze cross at the top of the spire is 12 feet high. In 1995, the church underwent extensive restoration work at a cost of $300,000. Today the Basilica of St Mary of the Angels is listed as a National Treasure in Victoria.
