Constructing Cathedrals: Building St Marys Cathedral, Hobart
Paula Xiberras
I spoke to author Nick Brodie recently about his book on the building of St Marys Cathedral. Nick uses a novel(pardon the pun!) approach with the chapter quotes, in many instances, charting the life of Jesus in parallel to the life of the cathedral.
For Nick the impetus for the book came from a combination of personal and professional life. He is a parishioner of St Marys Cathedral and also with a particular interest in church history he came to Tasmania as part of his PHD to work on medieval history at a time when money was being raised for the refurbishment of the modern cathedral. It gave him a wonderful opportunity to bring attention to the original building of the cathedral and the strength of Catholicism in withstanding the many trials the cathedral building encountered.
We learn that the original site of the cathedral was a meeting place for the indigenous population and the new arrivals. A poetic image is of a local priest, Father Phillip Connelly dancing with a group of indigenous people at night by moonlight, not in a traditional celebration, but as part of the congregation of an early wooden church, before the edifice we know now as St Marys Cathedral was built. Further to this,recognition was given to the prior owners of the land in a recent ceremony and a plaque has been dedicated to them.
There were many setbacks including some shoddy workmanship using less than first rate materials that necessitated the dismantling and rebuilding of the cathedral but the perseverance of the people and the rebuilding of the cathedral is testimony to the inspiring confidence in the newly growing colony and community
Two of the people that encouraged the building of the cathedral were Bishop Wilson who would return to England and not live to see the cathedral built, Father William Hall who would speak at the ceremony of the laying of the first stone on a very rainy day. He would later succumb to the results of that downpour. Both of these men, instrumental in getting the cathedral built are remembered in the Hardman stained glass window, and Wilson is further celebrated in a brass etching in the chancel wing. Both men are continually remembered in masses at the cathedral.
Although Bishop Wilson and architect Pugin were English, the Irish had quite an input into the early days of the cathedral most notably Roderick O’Conner who started the ball rolling with a substantial donation to begin the building of the cathedral, the church bell came from Ireland and some earth from St Patrick’s resting place was placed in the foundation stone. A fitting act linking the cathedral to the homeland, as many of the early parishioners were Irish.
Something must be said about the role of women in helping raise the money to build the cathedral, and rebuild it. The women held successful bazaars but unfortunately because they were referred to as ‘Mrs’ and by their husbands name in most of the documentation we don’t know ‘her story’ as much as ‘his’ story.
As a scholar of church history what does Nick think of St Marys Cathedral in comparison to the cathedrals of the world? Well Nick calls it ‘familiar’, a small cathedral by world standards but ‘comfortable’ and one that offers ‘intimacy’, and when full, ‘community.’
Nick is considering doing a follow up to this book encompassing more history and taking the cathedral into the 20th century with its modern multicultural make up of migrants from many nations, including Greek, German Italian Vietnamese, African and more.
The book is out now and can be purchased at Nick’s website.
http://www.nicholasdeanbrodie.com/