St Patrick's Church, Fortitude Valley

St Patrick's Church,
Fortitude Valley
St Patrick's Church,; Fortitude Valley
	St Patrick's Church, 2019
	27°27′28″S153°02′18″E / 27.4577°S 153.0382°E
Address	58 Morgan Street, Fortitude Valley, City of Brisbane, Queensland
Country	Australia
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	cathedralofststephen.org.au/st-patricks-church.html
History
Status	Church
Founded	September 1880
Founder(s)	Bishop James O'Quinn
Dedication	Saint Patrick
Consecrated	3 December 1882; by Archbishop Robert Dunne
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Andrea Giovanni Stombuco
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Years built	1880–1882
Construction cost	£6,000
Specifications
Materials	Porphyry, dressed with sandstone
Administration
Archdiocese	Brisbane
Parish	St Stephen's Cathedral Parish
Queensland Heritage Register
Official name	St Patrick's Church
Type	State heritage (built)
Designated	21 October 1992
Reference no.	600210
Significant period	1880–1882 (fabric)
Significant components	Stained glass window/s, trees/plantings, memorial – statue, furniture/fittings, pipe organ
Builders	John Arthur Manis O'Keefe

Last updated January 29, 2024

St Patrick's Church is a heritage-listed Roman Catholic church at 58 Morgan Street, Fortitude Valley, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Andrea Giovanni Stombuco and built from 1880 to 1882 by John Arthur Manis O'Keefe. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.^[1]

History

Early Catholicism in Brisbane

This stone Gothic-styled church was erected in 1880–1882, to accommodate the growing Catholic population in Fortitude Valley. It replaced an earlier St Patrick's, erected in Wickham Street, opposite Duncan Street, in 1861, one block from the residence of the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Brisbane, James O'Quinn.^[1]

In the 1860s, Irish Catholics, brought to Queensland through the efforts of O'Quinn's Queensland Immigration Society, congregated in Fortitude Valley and adjacent suburbs. St Patrick's parish extended from Spring Hill, through Fortitude Valley to Newstead, Teneriffe and New Farm. By the late 1870s, the parish had outgrown the Wickham Street church.^[1]

Design and construction of the church

The new St Patrick's Church was one of the last of the substantial masonry ecclesiastical structures erected under Bishop O'Quinn's patronage, and was the largest church built during his occupancy of the Queensland Bishopric, 1861 to 1881, being at the time of greater seating capacity than St Stephen's Cathedral. O'Quinn transposed to Queensland, Ireland's Bishop Cullen's philosophy that new churches and ecclesiastical institutions should be expensive and Gothic, symbolising the new age of Irish Roman Catholicism. His successor, Robert Dunne (Bishop and later Archbishop of Brisbane 1882–1917), opposed such ostentatious displays, which had nearly bankrupted the Brisbane diocese.^[1]

The Morgan Street site, occupied by Magill's Paragon Nursery in the 1870s, was acquired by church trustees, including Bishop O'Quinn, c. 1880. In September that year, between 4,000 and 5,000 people gathered to watch the Bishop lay the foundation stone for the new church. Designed by architect and sculptor Andrea Giovanni Stombuco, the former Goulburn Diocesan Architect who reputedly was invited to Brisbane by Bishop O'Quinn, the church was to accommodate 1500 people. Tenders were called in October 1880, and the contract was let to Brisbane builder John Arthur Manis O'Keefe. Constructed of local porphyry and dressed with Murphys Creek sandstone, St Patrick's was completed in 1882 at an estimated cost of £ 6,000. The tower, which was part of the original design, was not built. The church was consecrated on 3 December 1882, by Archbishop Dunne.^[1]

Fittings included an organ constructed by local Brisbane musical instrument dealer and piano and organ builder, Thomas Christmas, at a cost of £360. Christmas, who had arrived in Brisbane from Melbourne in 1877, was credited with having constructed most of the locally-made organs in Queensland by 1888.^[1]

In 1886 a belfry and bell were erected in the grounds, on the highest point on the site. The bell of patent cast steel, manufactured by Vicker, Son & Co. Ltd of Sheffield, England, was a gift from Fortitude Valley parishioner Thomas Reedy. In 1886-1887 ornamental additions were made to the church. The high altar of New Zealand Oamaru stone, designed and reputedly sculpted by Stombuco, was completed. Also installed were a timber pulpit; side altars of Oamaru stone, sculpted by John Petrie & Son of Brisbane; and, in the eastern wall, a large stained glass window imported from Lyons in France.^[1]

St Patrick's remained a large and important Irish Catholic parish until after the Second World War, despite the establishment of a separate New Farm parish c. 1928. From the 1950s, however, Fortitude Valley declined as a residential area, and from this is dated the gradual withering away of a local congregation.^[1]

Subsequent developments

At some period after the Second World War, possibly in the 1950s, the side altars and altar rails were replaced in marble, and marble flooring was laid in the chancel. By this time, the demographic composition of Fortitude Valley was changing, with substantial numbers of European migrants (principally Italian) congregating in Fortitude Valley/New Farm. Following the Vatican II resolutions of 1962, a new altar and sanctuary dais were installed in the middle of the church. A timber screen and doors just inside the main entrance have been removed. The 1886 belfry is no longer extant, but the original bell survives, housed in a steel structure.^[1]

In 1955, buildings formerly associated with St Patrick's School (located previously in Wickham Street and then in Ivory Street), were erected in the church grounds, and in 1969, a presbytery. These buildings do not form part of the present entry in the Heritage Register.^[1]

The parish of St Patrick's was dissolved c. 1990, and the church is administered from St Stephen's Cathedral. It attracts a large Sunday Mass congregation from the wider Brisbane Catholic community, and is popular for weddings and baptisms.^[1]

Description

St Patrick's Church is a substantial Gothic-influenced stone building centrally sited on an interior block accessed via Berwick and Morgan Streets. Only the north-eastern facade of the church is visible from the end of Morgan Street.^[1]

The church has a monumental presence, with a simple rectangular form constructed in rough-axed porphyry. Its broad nave and aisles are expressed as three parapeted gables to the north-eastern principal elevation, following the line of three steeply pitched corrugated iron roofs. To the south-west, the nave extends past the aisles, forming a projecting chancel with a vestry attached in the south-western corner. The building has buttressed walls, and generous pointed arched windows and doors.^[1]

The coursed rubble stonework is dressed with sandstone to the hood mouldings, cornice, crosses and window tracery. The window reveals are in rendered brickwork and are surmounted with alternating green and pink stone voussoirs.^[1]

The church interior is impressive; the nave is separated from the aisles by octagonal columns supporting pointed arches. The nave is spanned by timber braced trusses with a king post and quatrefoil motifs to the haunches (the part of the arch between the top of the arch and the supporting pier); an ornamental timber fretwork truss/arch is centred over the chancel. Simpler scissor trusses run the length of the aisles. The diagonally boarded timber ceiling with exposed rafters is finished with a timber frieze with quatrefoil motifs. The side walls have diamond-glazed coloured-glass edged tracery windows, with smaller half-lights over the doors. Above the altar is a large stained glass window depicting the Resurrection of Jesus. The pointed arched doors are timber-framed and boarded. The chancel contains a richly carved Gothic-inspired Oamaru stone altar which sits on a stepped marble base bounded by a marble balustrade with brass gates. Less elaborate marble altars are located at the ends of the aisles. A stepped timber choir and organ loft is located at the other end of the church; it is supported by two colonnettes (thin columns), and is accessed by stone spiral stairs enclosed by a rendered brick wall. The loft balustrade is carved with quatrefoils, and has a continuous fretwork music stand at handrail level. The organ has richly carved timber surrounds. A timber-panelled reconciliation room is located to the north-eastern corner. The church also contains some fine furnishings including cedar pews decorated with gothic motifs and fretwork, a marble baptismal font, and an ornamental holy water stand.^[1]

The grounds include a steel bell suspended from an approximately four-metre-high (13 ft) steel frame in the southern corner, a stone memorial in the centre of a circular drive to the north east, and several mature fig trees. The site also contains newer school buildings which link to the church via a walkway abutting the western vestry entrance.^[1]

St Patrick's is a fine intact stone church, containing well-crafted stained glass windows and carved elements in timber, Oamaru stone and marble.^[1]

Heritage listing

St Patrick's Church was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992 having satisfied the following criteria.^[1]

The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history.

St Patrick's Church is important in demonstrating the pattern of Queensland's history, being evidence of the consolidation of the Catholic church in Queensland in the last quarter of the 19th century. It is one of a group of substantial churches built in Fortitude Valley in the 1870s and 1880s, reflecting the residential growth of the Valley and adjacent suburbs in the last quarter of the 19th century.^[1]

The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places.

St Patrick's Church is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a late 19th century, Gothic-style stone church in Brisbane.^[1]

The place is important because of its aesthetic significance.

The building is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics which are valued by the community, namely the monumental and finely detailed quality of the exterior, the impressive spatial quality of its generous and finely detailed interior. Also of significance is the rich aesthetic quality of its crafted elements, in particular, the stained glass windows, the timber carvings to the organ loft balustrade, music stand, and to the pipe organ, the Oamaru stone altar, the marble altars and altar enclosure, and church furniture including the cedar pews, baptismal font and holy water stand.^[1]

The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons.

St Patrick's Church is significant as the focus of Catholic worship in Fortitude Valley for over a century, the building has a strong association with the local Catholic community, and in particular with the Irish Catholic community.^[1]

The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history.

The building has a special association with the work of the Catholic Church in Brisbane and the ecclesiastical work of architect and sculptor Andrea Stombuco.^[1]

Related Research Articles

All Saints Anglican Church is a heritage-listed church at 32 Wickham Terrace, Spring Hill, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. First founded in 1862, the current building designed by Benjamin Backhouse was completed in 1869, making it the oldest Anglican church in Brisbane. For most of its history, it has been identified with the High Church or Anglo-Catholic tradition within Anglicanism. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary Star of the Sea, West Melbourne</span> Church in Victoria, Australia

St Mary Star of the Sea is a Roman Catholic parish church in West Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The foundation stone of the church was laid in 1882 and the building was completed by 1900. Since 2002, restoration has been ongoing to restore the church to its original state. Built with seating for over 1,200 people, it has been described as the largest parish church in Melbourne, in Victoria, or even in Australia.

St Mary's Church is in St Mary's Street, Crewe, Cheshire, England. It is an active Roman Catholic parish church in the diocese of Shrewsbury. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.

The Church of St Vincent de Paul is a Roman Catholic parish church in St James Street, Liverpool, England. It is an active parish church in the Archdiocese of Liverpool and the Pastoral Area of Liverpool South. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second St Mary's Church, Warwick</span> Church in Australia

The second St Mary's Roman Catholic Church is a heritage-listed sandstone Catholic church at 163 Palmerin Street in Warwick in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Dornbusch & Connolly and built from 1920 to 1926. It is also known as St Mary of the Assumption Church. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Maryborough</span> Church in Queensland, Australia

St Mary's Church is a heritage-listed Roman Catholic church at 271–275 Adelaide Street, Maryborough, Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia, on land donated to the Church by Maryborough pioneer James Cleary. It was initially designed by Charles Tiffin with later additions and alterations by Francis Drummond Greville Stanley and POE Hawkes. The initial construction was from 1869 to 1872 by G Smith and J Thomas. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

Andrea Giovanni Stombuco (1820-1907) was an Italian-born Australian sculptor and architect. Many of the buildings he designed are listed on the heritage registers in Australia.

St Andrews Anglican Church is a heritage-listed churchyard at 160 Vulture Street, South Brisbane, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Andrea Stombuco and built from 1878 to 1932. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

St Luke's Anglican Church is a heritage-listed church at 152 Herries Street, Toowoomba City, Queensland, Australia. It is the second church on the site and was designed by John Hingeston Buckeridge and built in 1897. It is also known as St Luke's Church of England. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 28 July 2000.

St Patrick's Cathedral is a heritage-listed Roman Catholic cathedral on James Street, South Toowoomba, Toowoomba, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Toowoomba architect James Marks and was built from 1883 to 1935. The site of the cathedral was originally a church and school known as St Patrick's Church School. In 1899, the school was moved to make way for the building of the cathedral and in 1959 renamed as St Saviour's School. St Patrick's Cathedral was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

Holy Trinity Church is a heritage-listed Anglican church at 141 Brookes Street, Fortitude Valley, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is the second church on that site. It was designed by Francis Drummond Greville Stanley built from 1876 to 1877 by James Robinson. It was modified in 1920–1921, 1925 and 1929. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

St Thomas' Anglican Church is a heritage-listed church at 69 High Street, Toowong, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Francis Drummond Greville Stanley and built in 1877 by Henry Pears. It was also known as St Thomas' Church of England. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

St Mary's Church is a heritage-listed Roman Catholic church at 20 Merivale Street, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Simkin and Ibler and built from 1892 to 1929. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 3 December 2004.

St Paul's Presbyterian Church is a heritage-listed Presbyterian church at 43 St Pauls Terrace, Spring Hill, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Francis Drummond Greville Stanley and built from 1887 to 1889 by Thomas Rees. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

St Francis Xavier Church is a heritage-listed Roman Catholic church at 6 Church Street, Goodna, City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Andrea Giovanni Stombuco and built in 1881 by William Hanley. It was originally known as St Patrick's Church. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

St Brigids Catholic Church is a heritage-listed Roman Catholic church at 11 Railway Street, Rosewood, City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Reverend Andrew Horan and built in 1909 by RJ Murphy with alterations in 1935. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

St Paul's Anglican Church is a heritage-listed church at 124 Brisbane Street, Ipswich, City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1855 to 1929. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

St Josephs Cathedral is a heritage-listed Roman Catholic cathedral at 170 William Street, Allenstown, Rockhampton, Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Francis Drummond Greville Stanley and built from 1893 to 1982. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992. The cathedral serves as the seat for the Bishop of Rockhampton.

St Patrick's Church is a heritage-listed Roman Catholic church at Church Street, Gympie, Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Francis Drummond Greville Stanley and built from 1883 to 1935. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 20 February 1995.

St Joseph's Church is a heritage-listed Roman Catholic church at Fryer Street, North Ward, City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Charles Dalton Lynch and Walter Hunt and built from 1920 to 1921 by Joseph Rooney. It is also known as St Joseph on The Strand. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 26 November 1999.

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 "St Patricks Church (entry 600210)". Queensland Heritage Register . Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 1 August 2014.

Attribution

This Wikipedia article was originally based on "The Queensland heritage register" published by the State of Queensland under CC-BY 3.0 AU licence (accessed on 7 July 2014, archived on 8 October 2014). The geo-coordinates were originally computed from the "Queensland heritage register boundaries" published by the State of Queensland under CC-BY 3.0 AU licence (accessed on 5 September 2014, archived on 15 October 2014).

External links

Official website

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[qhr-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 "St Patricks Church (entry 600210)". Queensland Heritage Register . Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 1 August 2014.

[1]