St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne, is the metropolitical and cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne, Victoria in Australia. It is the seat of the Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne and Metropolitan of the Province of Victoria. The cathedral, which was built in stages, is a major Melbourne landmark.
St Paul's Cathedral is built on the site where the first public Christian service in Melbourne was conducted in 1835. The area of the current site became a corn market until 1848, when it was made available for the construction of St Paul's Parish Church, a bluestone church. St Paul's Parish Church was consecrated in 1852 and was in use until 1885 when it was demolished to make way for the current cathedral.
A distinguished English architect, William Butterfield, designed the cathedral, in the architectural style of Gothic transitional. The foundation stone was laid in 1880 and, on 22 January 1891, the cathedral was consecrated. St Paul's replaced St James Old Cathedral which then stood on the corner of William Street and Collins Street - later moved to a site near the Flagstaff Gardens. The erection of the spires began in 1926, to the design of John Barr of Sydney instead of Butterfield's original design.
The 1960s saw extensive work completed to the exterior of the cathedral and the T.C. Lewis Organ was restored in 1989 by a major National Trust appeal.Major restoration works were completed in 2009 with significant repairs to the spires, the building of the Moorhouse Tower Lantern and the new processional doors.
This post is part of the Sunday Psalms meme,
and also part of the Spiritual Sundays meme.
And here is the "Salve Regina" by Ockeghem, which is always something that makes me feel serene and at peace with myself.
Melbourne Aquarium is a Southern Ocean and Antarctic aquarium in central Melbourne, Australia. It is located on the banks of the Yarra River beside and under the Flinders Street Viaduct and the King Street Bridge.
I have blogged before about this and you can find some of my photos of the exhibits here.
This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme.
Spring has definitely sprung in Melbourne, with the temperature climbing to 27˚C yesterday, which was a bit of a shock to the system. This is the first really warm day we have had for months and the sun was quite hot in the open. However, true to the changeable nature of the weather in Melbourne, the clouds billowed in and there's a bit of a stormy start to the day today with the weather going back to its usual 15˚C-16˚C maxima over the next few days.
However, many people took advantage of the sun and spent some by the Yarra River or even on board one of the pleasure craft there. The Gymea lilies (Doryanthes excelsa) are in bloom and there is a splendid example of one by the riverside.
This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.
Southern Cross Station is the most important rail terminal in Victoria and has been redeveloped into a world-class public transport interchange, with fast rail connections to regional Victorian centres and new facilities for rail, taxi and bus passengers. Now more than just a railway station, Southern Cross Station is a combination railway, shopping centre and bus terminal. The shopping centre includes a Coles supermarket, DFO - Direct Factory Outlet and over 100 other shops, bars and restaurants. On Spencer Street between Collins and La Trobe Streets at the western boundary of the central business district, it is the hub of the state's regional railway network, serving as a terminus for long-distance V/Line trains.
This post is part of the Signs, Signs meme.
Darebin Parklands comprises an area of approximately 40 hectares of urban bushland straddling the Darebin Creek. The park is located 8 kilometres from the Melbourne CBD, between the suburbs of Ivanhoe and Alphington. The park is highly accessible being both on a bus route and adjacent to the Hurstbridge railway line.
There are many water features int eh Parklands, including the meandering Darebin Creek and many ponds and artificial lakes. Bird life abounds in the waterways.
This post is part of the Water World Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Outdoor Wednesday meme,
and also part of the Nature Footsteps Waters meme.
I shared a few days ago a photo of a decorated elephant that celebrated the 150 year anniversary of the Melbourne Zoo. Here is another one, also just outside the Queen Victoria Market. The theme behind all of these elephants is animal conservation. This decoration draws attention to the Orange-Bellied Parrot, a threatened species of native bird.
This post is part of the Mandarin Orange Monday meme.
St Francis' Church is the oldest Catholic church in Victoria, Australia. Located on the corner of Lonsdale Street and Elizabeth Street, it is one of only three buildings in central Melbourne which predates the Gold Rush of 1851.
The church's foundation stone was laid on 4 October 1841, the feast day of St Francis of Assisi, to whom the church is dedicated. It was commissioned by Fr Patrick Geoghegan, the first Catholic priest in the Port Phillip District of New South Wales, which became Victoria in 1851. In 1848 St Francis' became the cathedral church of the first Catholic Bishop of Melbourne, James Goold, and continued as a Cathedral until 1868, when the diocesan seat was moved to the still unfinished St Patrick's Cathedral (which was not formally consecrated until 1897).
Centrally located in the Melbourne's CBD, St Francis' has never lost its place as one of the city's most popular and widely-used churches, and today is the busiest church in Australia, with more than 10,000 worshippers attending each week. Since 1929 it has been a Centre of Eucharistic Life in the care of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament. The church is listed with Victorian Heritage Register, the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) and the Australian Heritage Commission. Although there have been many changes made to the building, including the erection of a new tower, a gift from the Grollo family, to house the original 1853 bell imported from Dublin, the church remains essentially as it was designed by Samuel Jackson.
This post is part of the Psalm Sunday meme.
And here is Monteverdi's "Beatus Vir" - Psalm 111 (via Drimo, Choir & Concert M.G.Schiavo - Mito)
