Cathedral of St Michael and St John

About

Cathedral of St Michael and St John is a heritage-listed Roman Catholic cathedral at 107 William Street, Bathurst, Bathurst Region, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Charles Hansom and built from 1857 to 1861 by Edward Gell. It is also known as Cathedral of Saints Michael and John. The cathedral is the episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Bathurst. The property is owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bathurst. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 5 June 2012.

Aboriginal occupation of the Blue Mountains area dates back at least 12,000 years and appears to have intensified some 3000–4000 years ago. In pre-colonial times the area now known as Bathurst was inhabited by Aboriginal people of the Wiradjuri linguistic group. The clan associated with Bathurst occupied on a seasonal basis most of the Macquarie River area. They moved regularly in small groups but preferred the open land and used the waterways for a variety of food. There are numerous river flats where debris from recurrent camps accumulated over a long period. European settlement in this region after the first documented white expedition west of the Blue Mountains in 1813 was tentative because of apprehensions about resistance from Aboriginal people. There was some contact, witnessed by sporadic hostility and by the quantity of surviving artefacts manufactured by the Aborigines from European glass. By 1840 there was widespread dislocation of Aboriginal culture, aggravated after 1850 by the goldrush to the region.

Prior to European settlement in Australia, the Wiradjuri Aboriginal group lived in the upper Macquarie Valley. Bathurst was proclaimed a town by Lachlan Macquarie on 7 May 1815, named after Lord Bathurst, Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies. Bathurst is Australia's oldest inland township.

Governor Macquarie chose the site of the future town of Bathurst on 7 May 1815 during his tour over the Blue Mountains, on the road already completed by convict labour supervised by William Cox. Macquarie marked out the boundaries near the depot established by surveyor George Evans and reserved a site for a government house and domain. Reluctant to open the rich Bathurst Plains to a large settlement, Macquarie authorised few grants there initially, one of the first being 405 hectares (1,000 acres) to William Lawson, one of the three European explorers who crossed the mountains in 1813. The road-maker William Cox was another early grantee but later had to move his establishment to Kelso on the non-government side of the Macquarie River.

A modest release of land in February 1818 occurred when ten men were chosen to take up 20-hectare (50-acre) farms and 1-hectare (2-acre) town allotments across the river from the government buildings. When corruption by government supervisor Richard Lewis and acting Commandant William Cox caused their dismissal, they were replaced by Lieutenant William Lawson who became Commandant of the settlement in 1818.

Macquarie continued to restrict Bathurst settlement and reserved all land on the south side of the Macquarie River for government buildings and stock, a situation that prevailed until 1826. In December 1819 Bathurst had a population of only 120 people in 30 houses, two thirds being in the township of Kelso on the eastern side of the river and the remainder scattered on rural landholdings nearby. The official report in 1820 numbered Bathurst settlers at 114, including only 14 women and 15 children. The government buildings comprised a brick house for the commandant, brick barracks for the military detachment and houses for the stock keeper, and log houses for the 50 convicts who worked the government farm. Never successful, the government farm was closed by Governor Darling in 1828.

Governor Darling, arriving in Sydney in 1825, promptly commenced a review of colonial administration and subsequently introduced vigorous reforms. On advice from Viscount Goderich, Darling divided colonial expenditure into two parts: one to cover civil administration, funded by New South Wales ; the other for the convict system, funded by Britain.

By this time, J. McBrien and Robert Hoddle had surveyed the existing grants in the vicinity. Surveyor James Bym Richards began work on the south side of the river in 1826. But the town was apparently designed by Thomas Mitchell in 1830 and did not open until late 1833 after Richards had completed the layout of the streets with their two-road allotments. The first sales were held in 1831 before the survey was complete.

In 1832 the new governor, Major General Sir Richard Bourke, visited Bathurst in October. He instructed the surveyor general, Major Thomas L. Mitchell, to make arrangements for "opening the town of Bathurst without delay" and he in turn instructed the Assistant Surveyor at Bathurst J. B. Richards to lay out the blocks and streets. This was done in September 1833. It is believed that Major Mitchell named the streets, with George Street being named after King George III.

The first Mass held in Bathurst was performed some time between 30 October 1830 and 2 November 1830. The Reverend John Therry (1794–1877) travelled inland from Sydney to minister to a group of "convicts about to be executed at Bathurst". Sloman surmised that at this time there may have been 120 to 130 Catholics in the region "who had not seen a priest for two to three years or longer". During his visit Therry baptised an infant daughter of Michael and Susan Keenan.

By 1839 the number of Roman Catholics in communion at Bathurst had increased to 300. In that year work commenced on a permanent church building located on the corner of George and Keppel Streets. St Michael's Church was a Victorian Gothic style building constructed in brick. It was in use by 1841 but appears not to have been completed until 1846 when leadlight windows were installed.

Bishop John Bede Polding (1794–1877), first Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, was interested in fostering the English Gothic style of architecture in his diocese. He arranged for plans for significant churches to be prepared by English architects including William Wardell (1823–1899) who was responsible for the design of St Mary's Cathedral in Sydney. In 1852 Polding brought to Bathurst a plan for a large church that had been prepared by English architect Charles Hansom. It is apparent that this plan became the basis of discussions regarding the construction of a new Roman Catholic church in Bathurst.

Fundraising for a new church commenced in 1854 after "a meeting called by Dean Grant to consider various matters concerning the parish". By September 1856 plans and specifications for the new building had been prepared by Hansom. These were amended prior to commencement of construction. On 30 November 1857 a foundation stone was laid by Bishop Polding.

Fundraising continued over many years and included some significant events. Among these was a bazaar held over several days from 19 September 1859. This bazaar raised between £1,400 and £1,500. By 1 January 1860 "£7,324/10/9 had been subscribed and Dean Grant estimated that £3,000 was needed to complete the building". Structural stone work was undertaken by Mr McEwen using stone quarried at Mount Lambie. Carving of corbels and other decorative stone details was done by Edward Gell. Brickwork was erected by Messrs Simonds and Nixon, and carpentry executed by Messrs Kerr and Rae.

Construction of the church was almost complete by the end of 1860 and a dedication ceremony was planned for 11 April 1861. The dedication was to be undertaken by Archbishop Polding, however the Archbishop was unable to reach Bathurst by this date. The ceremony was conducted by Father Phelan and Dean Grant. The sermon on this occasion was preached by Father Patrick O'Farrell of Peel. The Archbishop eventually dedicated the cathedral on 29 June 1865.

Theo Barker noted that Dean Grant wished to have the cathedral dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. The parish name Saint Michael the Archangel could not be removed from the new church so it was dedicated in the name of both Saints. The last Sunday service was held in the old church of St Michael in April 1861.

The Very Reverend John Grant, Dean of Bathurst, died on 25 February 1864 at the age of 48. His body was interred in the Cathedral of Saints Michael and John, in a vault beneath the southern side of the archway separating the nave from the chancel/sanctuary. The Catholic Young Men's Society arranged for a block of black marble to be laid on top of the vault. This block is ornately inlaid with a stylized Calvary Cross decorated with roses and bordered with an inscription to the memory of Dean Grant in Fraktur or Gothic script.

On the opposite side of the archway is a vault containing the remains of the Very Reverend Dr. Matthew Quinn (1821–1885), first Bishop of Bathurst. This vault is topped with a block of white marble decorated with a simple Roman Cross and Latin inscription.

According to Bathurst historian Theo Barker the second Bishop of Bathurst, the Very Reverend Dr. Joseph Byrne made special arrangements with his vicar-general, Reverend Dr. John Dunne, about the way that he was to be interred. Byrne wished to be buried among his people, not in the cathedral, and to revive the old practice of offering special prayers for the souls of the dead at appropriate places in burial grounds.

Byrne arranged for a mortuary chapel to be constructed in the Catholic section of the Bathurst General Cemetery. This chapel was to be a tomb for the clergy and a venue for the celebration of mass within the cemetery. The chapel had not been completed by the time of Bishop Byrne's death on 12 January 1901 and his body was interred temporarily within the Meagher Family vault. The foundation stone of the chapel was blessed by Father John Dunne on 5 May 1901. Dunne was consecrated at Bishop of Bathurst on 8 September 1901 and one of his first duties in this role "was to bless the completed mortuary chapel and re-inter" Bishop Byrne's remains on 15 September.