St Patrick's Cathedral is Melbourne's second cathedral, in the once popular Neo-Gothic style. It is also one of five Australian cathedrals to have the honourable status of "minor basilica" - meaning that should the Pope come here, the cathedral could become his residence.
In the mid-19th century, Melbourne's Catholic community consisted almost one hundred per cent of Irish people, whose patron saint is St Patrick. It was therefore decided to dedicate the new Catholic cathedral, which began to be built in the East Hills neighbourhood, to him.
William Wardell, one of the most famous masters of his time, was chosen as the architect. Construction of the cathedral was supposed to begin in 1851, but the gold rush that broke out drew almost the entire able-bodied population of the city to the gold mines, and skilled labour was in short supply. The beginning of construction was postponed several times, and the first stone in the foundation of the cathedral was laid only in 1858.
The construction of the nave - the inner room - lasted about 10 years, but work on the rest of the building continued even longer. It was not until 1897 that the cathedral was consecrated, but even then - almost 40 years after construction began - it was not finished! The Catholic community had to organise fundraising several times to complete the building completely, which did not take place until 1939.
The work on the artistic decoration of the cathedral lasted 20 years. Instead of stained glass windows, amber glass was installed, thanks to which the interior of the church is flooded with golden shimmering light. The floor is lined with mosaic panels, as well as the marble altar. The mosaics, by the way, were made in Venice.
In 1937-1939, three towers were added to the cathedral - two on the western facade and one above the centre of the church. The first two are 61.8 metres high. The tower above the mediastinum rises to 79.2 metres and is crowned by a spire. The Celtic cross, donated by the Irish and government and mounted on the 105 metre high central spire, weighs about 1.5 tonnes!
As well as St Paul's Cathedral, St Patrick's Cathedral has an organ. It regularly hosts concerts by leading musicians and choral groups.
