St Mary's Church, Ipswich

Church in Australia

27°36′36″S 152°45′22″E / 27.61°S 152.7561°E / -27.61; 152.7561AddressMary Street, Woodend, Ipswich, City of Ipswich, QueenslandCountryAustraliaDenominationRoman CatholicWebsiteipswichcatholic.auHistoryStatusChurchFounded25 October 1858 (1858-10-25)Founder(s)Archbishop John Bede PoldingDedicationMary, mother of JesusConsecrated2 October 1904 (1904-10-02)
by Cardinal James FreemanArchitectureFunctional statusActiveArchitect(s)Andrea StombucoArchitectural typeChurchStyleNeo-Classical / Gothic RevivalYears built1874–1970sSpecificationsMaterialsStoneAdministrationArchdioceseBrisbane ParishIpswichClergyPriest(s)Fr. Stephen Bliss OFMAssistant priest(s)Fr. Minje Kim

Queensland Heritage Register

Official nameSt Marys Roman Catholic Church Precinct, Convent, formerly St Brigids Convent, St Marys Roman Catholic Church, Presbytery, Parish Hall andTypeState heritage (built)Designated21 October 1992Reference no.600577Significant period1874–1884, 1887–1889, 1900–1904, 1909, 1915, 1954, 1970s (fabric)
1850s–ongoing (historical)Significant componentsConvent/nunnery, church, tower, trees/plantings, tomb, wall/s, garden – ornamental/flower, hall, school/school room, pipe organ, driveway, tower – bell / belfry, residential accommodation – presbytery, hitching post

St Mary's Church is a heritage-listed Roman Catholic church precinct at Mary Street, Woodend, Ipswich, City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1874 to 1970s. It is also known as the former St Brigids Convent. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.^[1]

History

St Mary's church and convent are on the top of the hill to the right, the Bremer River is on the left, circa 1900

The first Catholic church in Ipswich was established about 1849 on the corner of Mary Street and Elizabeth Street. It was made of slab and shingles.^[2]

On 25 October 1858, Archbishop of Sydney John Bede Polding laid the foundation stone for a new stone church.^[3] The first mass was conducted on Sunday 4 December 1860 by Reverend W. McGinty.^[4] The consecration of the church had to await the arrival of the first Bishop of Brisbane, James Quinn and was performed by Cardinal James Freeman.^[5]^[6]^[7]

The first presbytery, a timber cottage, was built in 1860, but by the 1870s was in extremely poor condition. The congregation of St Mary's and the parish priest at the time, Father Andrew Horan, agreed to build a more substantial building. The present presbytery, built in 1876, was designed by the Italian architect Andrea Stombuco who had moved to Brisbane in 1875. This structure is the oldest building in the St Mary's Precinct. The Neo-Classical style building was built of stone and plastered inside and out with Portland cement.^[1]

Description

St Mary's Presbytery is a two storeyed stone building constructed in the manner of an Italian villa, to the design of the architect Andrea Stombuco. It is rectangular in plan with a stair hall leading to four rooms at each level.^[1]

Heritage listing

St Mary's Roman Catholic Church Precinct was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992 having satisfied the following criteria.^[1]

The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history.

This extensive precinct was established in the late 1850s as the central site of the Roman Catholic Church in Ipswich. Development of St Mary's Catholic Church Complex reflects the principal phases of development and growth in Ipswich, particularly during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.^[1]

The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places.

The complex is a good and substantially intact example of a nineteenth and early twentieth century Roman Catholic Complex with a prominent church, presbytery, parish hall, school buildings and convent. The prominence of the site and architectural quality of the buildings make this a particularly good example of an ecclesiastical precinct in Queensland.^[1]

The place is important because of its aesthetic significance.

St Mary's Complex is a landmark in Ipswich and has, for this reason, considerable aesthetic and social value. The site has a number of significant buildings and elements which, individually, have aesthetic and architectural value. St Mary's Church is a good and substantial example of early twentieth century Gothic Revival churches. The presbytery is a fine example of building designed in the Italian villa style, appropriate to the sub tropical climate of Brisbane. Further this building is important as a good example of the work of the renowned Catholic architect, Andrea Giovanni Stombuco. The school buildings, parish hall and convent are also fine buildings of considerable architectural merit.^[1]

The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons.

St Mary's Catholic Church is significant for its association with Father Andrew Horan, Parish Priest of St Mary's from 1872 to 1924. Father Horan supervised construction of the church and is buried and commemorated inside the church.^[1]

The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ "St Marys Roman Catholic Church Precinct (entry 600577)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
^ "St Mary's Catholic Church Elizabeth Street, Ipswich". Organ Historical Trust of Australia. Archived from the original on 10 June 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
^ "LAYING THE FOUNDATION STONE OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. IPSWICH". The Darling Downs Gazette And General Advertiser. Vol. I, no. 21. Queensland, Australia. 28 October 1858. p. 3. Archived from the original on 30 July 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "LOCAL INTELLIGENCE". The North Australian, Ipswich And General Advertiser. Vol. VI, no. 298. Queensland, Australia. 6 November 1860. p. 3. Archived from the original on 30 July 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "IMPRESSIVE CEREMONY AT IPSWICH". Freeman's Journal. Vol. LV, no. 3431. New South Wales, Australia. 8 October 1904. p. 20. Retrieved 25 August 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "New R.C. Church". The Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld. : 1872 - 1947). No. 9943. Queensland, Australia. 1 October 1904. p. 13. Retrieved 25 August 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
^ "The Opening of St. Mary's New Church, Ipswich". The Catholic Press. Vol. VIII, no. 459. New South Wales, Australia. 6 October 1904. p. 18. Retrieved 25 August 2023 – via National Library of Australia.

Attribution

This Wikipedia article was originally based on "The Queensland heritage register" published by the State of Queensland under CC-BY 3.0 AU licence (accessed on 7 July 2014, archived on 8 October 2014). The geo-coordinates were originally computed from the "Queensland heritage register boundaries" published by the State of Queensland under CC-BY 3.0 AU licence (accessed on 5 September 2014, archived on 15 October 2014).

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to St Marys Roman Catholic Church, Ipswich.

Official website

Catholic Church in Australia

A list of the Catholic dioceses, chapels, churches, and cathedrals in Australia.

Province of Sydney

Metropolitan Archdiocese of Sydney	Cathedral Church and Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Mother of God, Help of Christians St Philip Howard, Kingston St Anne's, North Bondi St Anne's, South Strathfield St Brigid's, Millers Point St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Paddington Cardinal Cerretti Chapel Garden Island Naval Chapel Mary Immaculate, Waverley Mary Mackillop Memorial Chapel and Museum Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Randwick St Patrick's, The Rocks St Peter Julian's, Sydney
Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle	Cathedral of the Sacred Heart
Diocese of Armidale	Cathedral of Saint Mary and Saint Joseph
Diocese of Bathurst	Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint John St Mary's, Mudgee
Diocese of Lismore	Cathedral of Saint Carthage
Diocese of Wagga Wagga	Cathedral of Saint Michael Our Lady of Pompeii, Yoogali
Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes	Cathedral of the Sacred Heart St Ignatius, Bourke
Diocese of Wollongong	Cathedral of Saint Francis Xavier St John Vianney Co-Cathedral St Francis Xavier's, Berrima St John's, Campbelltown St Michael's, Nowra
Diocese of Parramatta	Cathedral of Saint Patrick St Thomas Aquinas, Springwood
Diocese of Broken Bay	Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary

Province of Melbourne

Metropolitan Archdiocese of Melbourne	Cathedral Church and Minor Basilica of Saint Patrick Our Lady of Victories Basilica, Camberwell Sacred Heart, St Kilda St Ambrose, Brunswick St Ignatius', Richmond St Mary of the Angels, Geelong St Mary's, Williamstown St Mary Star of the Sea, West Melbourne St Francis', Melbourne
Diocese of Sale	Cathedral of Saint Mary
Diocese of Sandhurst	Cathedral of the Sacred Heart
Diocese of Ballarat	Cathedral of Saint Patrick

Province of Brisbane

Metropolitan Archdiocese of Brisbane	Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Stephen St Stephen's Chapel Corpus Christi, Nundah Our Lady of Victories, Bowen Hills Marist Brothers College, Rosalie Mary Immaculate Church, Annerley Mount Carmel Convent, Wynnum Mount St Mary's Convent, Toowong St Brigid's, Red Hill Church Convent St Brigid's Church, Rosewood St Francis Xavier, Goodna St Ignatius Loyola, Toowong St Mary's, Ipswich St Mary's, Maryborough St Mary's, South Brisbane St Patrick's, Fortitude Valley St Patrick's, Gympie St Patrick's, Mount Perry
Diocese of Toowoomba	Cathedral of Saint Patrick Our Lady of the Assumption, Warwick First Church Second Church Convent Presbytery St Patrick's, Rosevale
Diocese of Cairns	St Monica's War Memorial Cathedral Old Cathedral St Monica's Priory/Bishop's House Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Thursday Island St James', Malanda St Joseph's, Cairns St Mary's by the Sea Church, Port Douglas St Patrick's, Yungaburra
Diocese of Rockhampton	Cathedral of Saint Joseph Old St Patrick's, Brandon Our Lady Star of the Sea, Gladstone
Diocese of Townsville	Cathedral of the Sacred Heart St Brigid's, Stuart St Joseph's, North Ward St Mary's, Townsville St Patrick's, North Ward St Patrick's, Ravenswood

Province of Perth

Metropolitan Archdiocese of Perth	Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Pro-Cathedral of Saint John Aquinas College Chapel New Norcia, Western Australia Redemptorist Monastery, North Perth St Brigid's, Perth St Denis, Joondanna St Mary Star of the Sea, Peppermint Grove St Patrick's Basilica, Fremantle St John the Baptist, Toodyay St John the Baptist, Toodyay (1863–1963) St Joseph's, Subiaco
Diocese of Broome	Cathedral of Our Lady Queen of Peace
Diocese of Bunbury	Cathedral of Saint Patrick
Diocese of Geraldton	Cathedral of Saint Francis Xavier

Province of Adelaide

Metropolitan Archdiocese of Adelaide	Metropolitan Cathedral of Saint Francis Xavier St Augustine's, Salisbury St Ignatius' Church, Norwood St Patrick's, Adelaide
Diocese of Port Pirie	Cathedral of Saint Mark
Diocese of Darwin	Cathedral of Saint Mary, Star of the Sea Christ the King, Tennant Creek

Immediately subject to the Holy See

Archdiocese of Hobart	Cathedral of Saint Mary Church of the Apostles, Launceston
Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn	Cathedral of Saint Christopher St Peter and Paul's, Goulburn Christ the King, Taralga
Military Ordinariate of Australia	Cathedral of Saint Christopher as Principal Church
Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross	Principal Parish of St Bede the Venerable

Immediately subject to a patriarch or major archbishop

Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Ss Peter and Paul	Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul
Maronite Catholic Eparchy of St Maroun	Cathedral of Saint Maroun
Melkite Catholic Eparchy of St Michael	Cathedral of Saint Michael and All the Angels
Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of St Thomas	St Thomas the Apostle Chaldean Catholic Church (Seat of the Eparch's Cathedra)
Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of St Thomas	St Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Church (Seat of the Eparch's Cathedra)