Saint Mary's Cathedral

Saint Mary's Cathedral is a grand architectural achievement

Saint Mary's Cathedral has evolved into a grandiose Sydney landmark over a a period of over 130 years. Situated along the east side of Hyde Park in the Central Business District it is visible from many different vantage points. It is also Australia's largest church.

Featuring Gothic Revival architecture along the lines of the smaller and older St Andrew's Cathedral, the first stone for this beautiful Sydney landmark was laid back in 1868 after a succession of Catholic Churches, some of which were destroyed by fire. The Cathedral was finally dedicated in 1882, but it was only a portion of what it is today. The nave was not completed until 1928 followed by the crypt in 1961. And last, but not least the large spires on to of the two towers were not added until the year 2000 in order to improve the aesthetics of the previously square topped towers.

While the design of St. Mary's Cathedral is original it certainly inherits many features typical of far more medival churches from Europe. Due to the size of the project and the available location the Cathedral is oriented north-south breaking the tradition of east-west orientation.

Forty pictorial stained glass windows and striking mosaic floors along with a myriad of other fine details complete this elegant and grand Cathedral.

Cost: Free

Hours: St. Mary's hosts a variety of different events and music. See website below of up to date information.

Website: Saint Mary's Cathedral

Address: College Street and St. Mary's Road, Sydney

Nearby attractions: Hyde Park, Hyde Park Barracks Museum, Australian Museum, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Parliament House, and Sydney Tower

Getting There on Transit
Monorail / Train / Bus	Station	Walking Time
Monorail	City Centre Station	7 minutes
Light Rail and Monorail	Haymarket	8 minutes
Train	St. James Station	1 minute
By Monorail: Exit at City Centre Station and go north to Market Street then right (east) along Market Street and continue east across Hyde Park past the fountain (7 minutes). By Light Rail and Monorail: Exit the Light Rail at Haymarket then transfer to the Monorail eastbound at adjacent Paddy's Market Station and ride to City Centre. Proceed as above from there. (8 minutes + transfer). By Train: St. James Station Station exits in Hyde Park just west of the Cathedral. View TourbyTransit.com - Sydney Attractions in a larger map

Saint Mary's Cathedral as seen from Sydney Tower cc licensed flickr photo shared by Rob Young