This collection contains a small selection of archives relating to St Marys Cathedral.
St Marys Cathedral was built between 1821-1835 on land given to the Catholic church by Governor Macquarie in 1820. It was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1865 and a new cathedral built on the same site from 1866-1928. The architect of the current building was William Wardell, who designed many public buildings in Sydney and Melbourne, and many churches in the Gothic Revival style - including St Marys Cathedral - through his private practice. The final addition of the spires atop the cathedral towers was not completed until August 2000.
St Marys Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, and seat of the Archbishop of Sydney. It is the largest ecclesiastical building in the English Gothic style in the world.
The size and location of the golden-coloured sandstone building mean that St Marys Cathedral has long been a dominant feature of the city landscape and a background to life in the City of Sydney. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register in 2004. Over the years the Cathedral has been host to politicians, dignitaries, celebrities, community events and protests, amongst other things. It was the focus of World Youth Day 2008.
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