Sydney: St Mary’s Cathedral

From the Australian Museum we crossed the street to St Mary’s Cathedral.

Considered the spiritual heart of Catholic Sydney, the foundation stone for the church was set in 1821 by Governor Macquarie. That first cathedral was destroyed by a fire in 1865. The one that stands today was built in two phases between 1866 and 1928, but it wasn’t until the year 2000 that the original design was fully completed. In the English Gothic revival style, it is Australia’s largest cathedral.

We entered through the front door, I took a photo from the rear of the aisle, and just then the priest arrived to say Mass. Ooops, no more photos. Leaving would have disrupted the service, so we sat down to wait it out.

I snuck out at one point to go down to the crypt — which the deacon said was OK to visit during Mass. There were beautiful tile details to keep me occupied for part of the service while Mui used the time to rest in a pew at the back of the church.

Once the service was over and the congregants had left, I wandered around, studying the beautiful stained glass windows and taking photographs. Then, we were off to continue our sightseeing.Read more