St Patrick's Cathedral is the seat of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Ballarat The Roman Catholic Diocese of Ballarat, based in Ballarat, Australia, is a diocese in the ecclesiastical province of Melbourne. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Melbourne and was established in 1874. Its geography covers the west, ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Australia. The cathedral was built between 1857 and 1871 designed by local architects Shaw and Dowden but was based on a design of English architect

Charles Hansom Charles Francis Hansom (27 July 1817 – 30 November 1888) was a prominent Roman Catholic Victorian architecture, Victorian architect who primarily designed in the Gothic Revival architecture, Gothic Revival style. Career He was born of a Cathol ...

.St. Patricks Cathedral, Ballarat
/ref> The foundation stone was laid on 7 February 1858 by Bishop

James Alipius Goold James Alipius Goold (4 November 1812–11 June 1886) was an Australian Augustinian friar and the founding Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne in Australia. Life Early years Goold was born in Cork, Ireland. Upon leaving school he entered the Ord ...

, with the first Mass being celebrated in 1863. The official opening was in 1871.

References

Roman Catholic cathedrals in Victoria (Australia) Roman Catholic churches completed in 1871 Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne 1871 establishments in Australia 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Australia {{Australia-church-stub