John Cyril Hawes (7 September 1876 – 26 June 1956) was an

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

. Hawes was known for designing and constructing church buildings in England,

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

and

The Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...

. He served as a priest in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

before converting to

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

and received ordination as a Catholic priest. He was later named a Domestic Prelate by Pope Pius XI and given the title "monsignor". After retiring he lived as a hermit in The Bahamas, becoming known more commonly as

Father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fathe ...

Jerome.

Biography

Hawes was born in

Richmond, Surrey Richmond is a town in south-west London,The London Government Act 1963 (c.33) (as amended) categorises the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames as an Outer London borough. Although it is on both sides of the River Thames, the Boundary Commis ...

to Edward, a solicitor, and Amelia Hawes. He attended school in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

and

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

. After leaving school he began training as an architect in London in 1893 with architects Edmeston and Gabriel. He also received formal architectural education at the Architectural Association School as well as the Central School of Arts and Craft. In 1897 he began practising as an architect, designing houses at

Bognor Bognor Regis (), sometimes simply known as Bognor (), is a town and seaside resort in West Sussex on the south coast of England, south-west of London, west of Brighton, south-east of Chichester and east of Portsmouth. Other nearby towns i ...

. After winning a design competition, Hawes was commissioned to build his first church in Gunnerton in 1899. After studying at Lincoln Theological College he was ordained as a Church of England priest in 1903. After stints at Clerkenwell and Caldy Island he was posted to a mission in

. In 1910 he designed St Paul's Church in

Clarence Town Clarence Town is a town in the Bahamas. It is located on Long Island. Clarence Town is the capital of Long Island and has a population of 86 people as of 2010.Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

. In 1911 he left The Bahamas for the United States where he converted to

. After leading a nomadic existence in Canada and the United States for several years, including working as a labourer and as a railway teamster, he began studying for the priesthood in Rome. He was ordained a Catholic priest in Rome on 27 February 1915, after which he was sent to

Geraldton Geraldton (Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. ...

where he worked as a priest, architect and builder. In recognition of his work in church design and architecture he was named a monsignor by Pope Pius XI. In May 1939, Hawes sailed from

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

, returning to The Bahamas, officially on a pilgrimage. He designed and built the Mount Alvernia Hermitage on Como Hill at Cat Island, which became his home. Along with this hermitage, he also designed five churches in the Bahamas as well as a second church at Clarence Town, St Peter's. He died on 26 June 1956 in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, aged 79 and at his own request was buried in a cave located beneath the hermitage at Cat Island.

Architecture Work

Monsignor Hawes' architectural work in the

Mid West The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

region of Western Australia was prolific. He was appointed Diocesan Architect and designed: * The Cathedral of St Francis Xavier, a Spanish Mission style cathedral in

. The completed building was officially opened in 1938 * Nazareth House in Geraldton * The Cemetery Chapel of the Holy Spirit in Geraldton * The Hermitage in Geraldton * The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Mullewa * Churches for many agricultural towns in the region; includin
Morawa
Western Australia, Morawa
Perenjori
Western Australia, Perenjori
Yalgoo
an
Northampton
* Only two private residences were designed - one being the homestead fo
Melangata Station
north of Yalgoo, the other could be th
File:Geraldton Cathedral.jpg, Geraldton Cathedral File:Geraldton Catedral, nave.jpg, Geraldton Cathedral, nave File:The Church, front.jpg, The Church, Mullewa File:West front of the Church of Our Lady in Ara Coeli.jpg, The Church of Our Lady in Ara Coeli, Northampton File:Convent of St Hyacinth,Yalgoo, Mgr Hawes 1922 side view.jpg, Convent of St Hyacinth,Yalgoo, Mgr Hawes 1922 side view The Monsignore Hawes Heritage Trail is a tourist route which visits many of these buildings, some of which he also built. He also designed the Anglican [https://www.monsignorhawes.com.au/saint-christophers-gunnerton/ Church of S. Christopher">White Tower
in Bognor Regis, UK, built as a holiday residence for him and his brothers with a single bedroom on each floor and a parlour. Church of S. Christopher
in Gunnerton a small village in the North Tyne valley, Northumberland. The building has recently been restored and now boasts a fine stained glass window by William Tillyer
in the west end.

References

External Links

Marshall Arts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawes, John 1876 births 1956 deaths 20th-century English architects British Roman Catholics Anglican priest converts to Roman Catholicism 20th-century English Anglican priests History of Western Australia People from Richmond, London Architects from Surrey

Biography

Architecture Work

See also

References

Further reading

External Links