Cathedral of the Annunciation of Our Lady

About

The Cathedral of the Annunciation of Our Lady is a heritage-listed former Anglican church and now Greek Orthodox cathedral located at 242 Cleveland Street, Redfern, New South Wales, Australia. The church was designed by Edmund Blacket and the rectory was designed by John Burcham Clamp and built from 1848. It is also known as the Greek Orthodox Cathedral; St Paul's Anglican Church; St Pauls Church of England; Cathedral of the Annunciation of Our Lady Theotokos. The property is owned by Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 17 April 2012.

As the Sydney township expanded after the first phases of colonial settlement, the suburbs of Redfern and Chippendale were soon subdivided to accommodate the developing industry and population. To service these new communities, land was quickly selected and dedicated for the construction of essential government facilities - namely a church and school. By 1846, the prominent corner location had been selected for the construction of an Anglican church and, in 1847, Bishop William Broughton - Australia's first (and only) bishop - had awarded the commission of the construction to Edmund Blacket, the diocesan architect for the Church of England in Australia.

Blacket had a particular interest in the gothic style of architecture and designed St Paul's Church in the Decorated Gothic form. During the colonial period, architecture was commissioned by the British settlers and was often designed to reflect the buildings of their homelands. The ecclesiastical building models were symbolic of Christianity and Blacket, in keeping with other colonial architects of the time, took inspiration from the design of established churches in England. The elevations and dimensions for St Pauls Church were taken from a lithograph of St Barnabas' at Homerton in East London - designed by Arthur Ashpitel.

Following the laying of the foundation stone on St Paul's Day in January 1848, construction of St Paul's Church soon followed but work proceeded slowly due to the economic depression in the colony and the high demand for skilled labour. Built in stages, the church was - in the most part - complete by its consecration in August 1855 but almost immediately underwent further expansion to accommodate the greater population numbers now residing in the Redfern and Chippendale areas. By 1858, the southern aisle of the church was complete and, by 1875, the tower was finished.

During the second half of the nineteenth century, Redfern and Chippendale continued to be mixed suburbs of both residential and industry and it was not long before living conditions began to decline and these inner-city areas turned into slums. Efforts to improve these conditions were largely spurred by Reverend Francis Bertie Boyce who was appointed to the parish of St Pauls in 1884 (and who remained as an active and vocal leader for social reform until his retirement in 1930). A champion for clearing slums, improving living conditions, promoting pensions and alleviating working class distress, Boyce became a notable and innovative public figure in campaigning for the social improvement of his parish.

During World War II, when it was St Paul's Church, they operated a hostel for service personnel on leave in Sydney. They had 50 beds, 20 volunteers and were open on Friday and Saturday nights. The cost was 1/- and came with morning tea. By February 1944 they had slept 1,500 men in previous 12 months. They did this in partnership with the Church of England National Emergency Fund.

By the outbreak of the World War II, the population decline of Redfern and Chippendale was acute with its residents leaving for the new and expanding outer suburbs of Sydney. The ethnic composition of the inner-city was in a state of change and, into the newly vacated terraces, came the European migrants who had fled war-torn Europe. A new residential demographic saw a shift in the social demand for religion and the decline of the Anglican congregation and the rise of the Orthodox migrant settlers led to the sale of the church in 1967.

Orthodoxy been present in NSW since the nineteenth century and has been practised at a number of churches around Sydney before the establishment of the cathedral in Redfern. The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Surry Hills, built in 1898, was the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere and practised under the spiritual jurisdiction of the Church of Greece, an autocephalous branch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Following contentious disputes amongst the leadership about the direction of the church, the congregation split and the Cathedral of Agia Sophia (Holy Wisdom of God) was established in Paddington in 1927.

After many years of tension between the churches and their prolonged period of co-existence, the two churches were finally reconciled in 1945 - a critical point in history when Australia was experiencing a steep increase in the numbers of Greek Orthodox migrants fleeing the war in Europe. The establishment of churches has always been a key element in the maintenance of faith and the provision of social support services to settling communities. With the migrant community growing steadily because of the government-assisted settlement after the war, the cathedral for Greek Orthodoxy was formed to become the focal point of cultural, education and philanthropic life in the community. Essential for the ongoing practice and celebration of their customs, traditions and language, the cathedral was an important support structure for the new communities settling and integrating into the Australian community.

With the congregation swelling and the Cathedral of St Sophia's reaching its capacity, the proposal to purchase St Paul's Church in Redfern afforded the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese an opportunity to encapsulate a cathedral and the necessary institutional facilities all on the one site. By 1970, the church had been converted and re-consecrated as the Greek Orthodox cathedral. Holy Wisdom Cathedral has since become known as the “old mitropolis” church.

Today, the cathedral is internationally recognised as the seat of Greek Orthodoxy in Australia. It is home to the Greek Orthodox Archbishop and provides service for the most significant events within the church.

As the Sydney township expanded after the first phases of colonial settlement, the suburbs of Redfern and Chippendale were soon subdivided to accommodate the developing industry and population. To service these new communities, land was quickly selected and dedicated for the construction of essential government facilities - namely a church and school. By 1846, the prominent corner location had been selected for the construction of an Anglican church and, in 1847, Bishop William Broughton - Australia's first (and only) bishop - had awarded the commission of the construction to Edmund Blacket, the diocesan architect for the Church of England in Australia.

Blacket had a particular interest in the gothic style of architecture and designed St Paul's Church in the Decorated Gothic form. During the colonial period, architecture was commissioned by the British settlers and was often designed to reflect the buildings of their homelands. The ecclesiastical building models were symbolic of Christianity and Blacket, in keeping with other colonial architects of the time, took inspiration from the design of established churches in England. The elevations and dimensions for St Pauls Church were taken from a lithograph of St Barnabas' at Homerton in East London - designed by Arthur Ashpitel.

Following the laying of the foundation stone on St Paul's Day in January 1848, construction of St Paul's Church soon followed but work proceeded slowly due to the economic depression in the colony and the high demand for skilled labour. Built in stages, the church was - in the most part - complete by its consecration in August 1855 but almost immediately underwent further expansion to accommodate the greater population numbers now residing in the Redfern and Chippendale areas. By 1858, the southern aisle of the church was complete and, by 1875, the tower was finished.

During the second half of the nineteenth century, Redfern and Chippendale continued to be mixed suburbs of both residential and industry and it was not long before living conditions began to decline and these inner-city areas turned into slums. Efforts to improve these conditions were largely spurred by Reverend Francis Bertie Boyce who was appointed to the parish of St Pauls in 1884 (and who remained as an active and vocal leader for social reform until his retirement in 1930). A champion for clearing slums, improving living conditions, promoting pensions and alleviating working class distress, Boyce became a notable and innovative public figure in campaigning for the social improvement of his parish.

During World War II, when it was St Paul's Church, they operated a hostel for service personnel on leave in Sydney. They had 50 beds, 20 volunteers and were open on Friday and Saturday nights. The cost was 1/- and came with morning tea. By February 1944 they had slept 1,500 men in previous 12 months. They did this in partnership with the Church of England National Emergency Fund.

By the outbreak of the World War II, the population decline of Redfern and Chippendale was acute with its residents leaving for the new and expanding outer suburbs of Sydney. The ethnic composition of the inner-city was in a state of change and, into the newly vacated terraces, came the European migrants who had fled war-torn Europe. A new residential demographic saw a shift in the social demand for religion and the decline of the Anglican congregation and the rise of the Orthodox migrant settlers led to the sale of the church in 1967.

Orthodoxy been present in NSW since the nineteenth century and has been practised at a number of churches around Sydney before the establishment of the cathedral in Redfern. The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Surry Hills, built in 1898, was the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere and practised under the spiritual jurisdiction of the Church of Greece, an autocephalous branch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Following contentious disputes amongst the leadership about the direction of the church, the congregation split and the Cathedral of Agia Sophia (Holy Wisdom of God) was established in Paddington in 1927.

After many years of tension between the churches and their prolonged period of co-existence, the two churches were finally reconciled in 1945 - a critical point in history when Australia was experiencing a steep increase in the numbers of Greek Orthodox migrants fleeing the war in Europe. The establishment of churches has always been a key element in the maintenance of faith and the provision of social support services to settling communities. With the migrant community growing steadily because of the government-assisted settlement after the war, the cathedral for Greek Orthodoxy was formed to become the focal point of cultural, education and philanthropic life in the community. Essential for the ongoing practice and celebration of their customs, traditions and language, the cathedral was an important support structure for the new communities settling and integrating into the Australian community.

With the congregation swelling and the Cathedral of St Sophia's reaching its capacity, the proposal to purchase St Paul's Church in Redfern afforded the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese an opportunity to encapsulate a cathedral and the necessary institutional facilities all on the one site. By 1970, the church had been converted and re-consecrated as the Greek Orthodox cathedral. Holy Wisdom Cathedral has since become known as the “old mitropolis” church.