The Cathedral of St Stephen is the heritage-listed

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...

church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane and

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair, a chair ...

of its

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, Australia. St Stephen's was only meant to serve as a temporary seat for the

, and plans for a replacement were made with the Holy Name Cathedral, however the cathedral was never built.

History

The cathedral is located on a site bounded by Elizabeth,

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, Creek, and Edward Streets, in the

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

n city of

. James Quinn, the first bishop of Brisbane, arrived in 1861 from Ireland, and soon planned to build a large cathedral to accommodate a growing congregation. On 26 December 1863, the Feast of St Stephen, Quinn laid the

foundation stone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over tim ...

for a grand cathedral designed by

Benjamin Backhouse Benjamin Backhouse (182929 July 1904) was an architect and politician in Australia. He was a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council. Early life Benjamin Backhouse was born in England in 1829. He was a Bachelor of Arts and was educ ...

, but this did not at first proceed beyond the foundations. R George Suter was then commissioned to design a smaller, simpler church partly on the foundations, and the current nave was built 1870–74, with the front gables and spires completed 1884. No further was undertaken until

James Duhig Sir James Duhig KCMG (2 September 187110 April 1965) was an Irish-born Australian Roman Catholic religious leader. He was the Archbishop of Brisbane for 48 years from 1917 until his death in 1965. At the time of his death he was the longest-s ...

took up the archbishopric in 1917. With plans to build new larger Holy Name Cathedral in

Fortitude Valley Fortitude Valley (often called "The Valley" by local residents) is an inner suburb of the City of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. In the , Fortitude Valley had a population of 9,708 people. The suburb features two pedestr ...

, he engaged architects Hennessy, Hennessy & Co to complete St Stephen's with a crossing, transepts and sanctuary in a simpler design than intended, which was built in 1920–22.

Description

St Stephen's is a

gothic revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

cathedral with a cruciform shape in plan. While this is a plain cathedral by comparison it still has a selection of striking features such as the spire topped sandstone towers, imported stained glass windows from Munich, the organ, the altar and the newer

Blessed Sacrament The Blessed Sacrament, also Most Blessed Sacrament, is a devotional name to refer to the body and blood of Christ in the form of consecrated sacramental bread and wine at a celebration of the Eucharist. The term is used in the Latin Church of th ...

Chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common type ...

at the rear of the building. Of particular note is the stained glass window by

Harry Clarke Henry Patrick Clarke (17 March 1889 – 6 January 1931) was an Irish stained-glass artist and book illustrator. Born in Dublin, he was a leading figure in the Irish Arts and Crafts Movement. His work was influenced by both the Art Nouveau an ...

, known as the "Mayne" window, which is located above the sanctuary on the east wall. The cathedral is made predominantly of

Brisbane tuff Brisbane tuff is a type of rock, formed as a result of a volcanic eruption. As the name suggests, it is a type of tuff found in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is a form of welded ignimbrite. Brisbane tuff comes in a variety of colours: p ...

and freestone. The Blessed Sacrament Chapel is made from reinforced concrete and the restored spires from glass reinforced concrete. Saint Stephen's Cathedral, Brisbane in Jan 2020, 26

Saint Stephen's Cathedral, Brisbane in Jan 2020, 26

Inside the cathedral the stained glass windows are vividly illuminated by the sun and cast coloured patterns on the floor and walls. Some of them are small with intimate pictures of Christ and his followers, while the great window over the main door stands tall and proud as it depicts Christ's ascension, then casts its majesty down the length of the great space. The lightweight plaster ceilings arc gracefully overhead. There is a noted contrast between the interior and exterior qualities of space. The interior has a cool and refreshing quality.

Restoration and refurbishment

By the 1980s the cathedral had fallen into a state of disrepair. The interior layout of the building was also unsuitable for the new

Catholic liturgy In the Catholic Church, liturgy is divine worship, the proclamation of the Gospel, and active charity. Catholic liturgies are broadly categorized as the Latin liturgical rites of the Latin Church and the Eastern Catholic liturgies of the Easte ...

. When it became clear that the planned Holy Name Cathedral, the construction of which had never proceeded beyond the completion of its crypt in 1934, would not proceed, it was decided that St Stephen's and its grounds would undergo major refurbishment which would involve preserving the fabric of the building but replacing all furnishings and interior fittings. As part of the refurbishment the cathedral grounds were enlarged and a carpark was built under the extended east end of the cathedral. The last stage of the cathedral restoration was completed in 2000 when the Jubilee Pipe Organ was installed above the sanctuary.

Cathedral grounds

In addition to the cathedral, the site contains numerous buildings that support the cathedral and the Archdiocese of Brisbane. St Stephen's Chapel (also known as Old St Stephen's Church) stands immediately to the south-west of the cathedral. The chapel was designed by English architect

Augustus Pugin Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin ( ; 1 March 181214 September 1852) was an English architect, designer, artist and critic with French and, ultimately, Swiss origins. He is principally remembered for his pioneering role in the Gothic Revival st ...

and built between 1847 and 1850. The first Mass was celebrated in the completed building on 12 May 1850. In June 1859 it became the cathedral for the first Bishop of Brisbane. It is the oldest Catholic church in Queensland. Old St Stephen's School is a three level building facing Charlotte Street. This building was the location of St Stephen's School until the 1960s. The building now contains offices for the Archdiocese of Brisbane. The Francis Rush Centre was completed in July 2005. The two storey building is the location for the cathedral's administration centre, the offices of the bishops, the choir room and several function and meeting rooms. A new under cover outdoor liturgical space was constructed as part of this development and facilitates special liturgies such as the Easter Vigil and Palm Sunday.

Music

The cathedral currently has three choirs, which perform in the liturgical-north

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building with ...

where they are amply and clearly able to be heard from the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-typ ...

both in liturgical works and in leading and complementing the cathedral's customary vigorous congregational hymn-singing. The current cathedral choir was formed in 1970 and is an all-male choir in the English choral tradition. The choir sings at the 10:00 am mass every Sunday except during school holiday periods in June and July, September and January. In addition to this weekly commitment the choir also sings at most major events at the cathedral including Easter, Christmas and ordinations. The choir has enjoyed high standards throughout its 30-year history during which it has made numerous recordings. The most recent of these was of traditional Christmas carols. In addition to the choir the cathedral also has a chamber ensemble called The Schola of the Cathedral of St Stephen. The group was formed as part of the restructuring of the cathedral's music department in 2000 and is fully professional. The Schola sings at the 12.00 pm Mass every Sunday and augments the cathedral choir at major events. Both the cathedral choir and The Schola are conducted by Christopher Trikilis, the cathedral's director of music. The cathedral also has a community choir of approximately 20 voices called St Stephen's Chorale. The chorale sings at the noon Mass once a month. The chorale is conducted by the cathedral sub-organist, Gregory Mayer.

References

External links

Cathedral website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Stephen, Brisbane, the Cathedral of Roman Catholic cathedrals in Queensland Roman Catholic churches in Brisbane History of Brisbane Roman Catholic churches completed in 1922 Queensland Heritage Register Gothic Revival church buildings in Australia Elizabeth Street, Brisbane Charlotte Street, Brisbane Benjamin Backhouse church buildings 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Australia 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Australia Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane