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As
a devout atheist I can
still appreciate
Christianity's cultural
contributions that
offer something
enduring; a testament
to the human desire to
understand existence,
express creativity, and
seek
transcendence—whether
through faith or the
pursuit of knowledge
and beauty. While we
atheists may approach
these works with a
critical or symbolic
lens, the appreciation
for their
craftsmanship,
historical
significance, and human
depth remains profound.
St.
Patrick's Cathedral
in Melbourne, while it
might be shorter in
length than St. Mary's
Cathedral in Sydney, is
the tallest and overall
largest church edifice
in the whole of
Australia.
In
1851, only 16 years
after the foundation of
Melbourne, the Colonial
Secretary of Victoria
granted the site to the
Roman Catholic Church.
Since the Catholic
community of Melbourne
was at the time almost
entirely Irish, the
cathedral was dedicated
to St. Patrick, the
patron saint of Ireland.
The
cathedral is built out
of sandstone and
bluestone (basalt), a
very common building
material that you'll
find across Melbourne
from that era.
Officially, the
cathedral was completed
in 1939 when the tall
spires were added to
the chapel. The style
of the cathedral falls
into the category of
Gothic-revival, with
construction being
halted during the mid
to late 1850s as most
of the labourers had
run off to the gold
fields in search of
fortune..
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