st mary's cathedral perth tour

St. Mary's Cathedral

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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St. Mary's Cathedral, Perth

• (0.20 km) The Westin Perth
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• (0.17 km) 806 High in the sky Executive CBD Studio
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• (0.18 km) EAST Cafe & Vietnamese Bistro
• (0.16 km) Han's Cafe - Perth CBD
• (0.20 km) Garum By Guy Grossi
• (0.19 km) Peoples Inn Dumpling House

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History of the Catholic Cathedrals in Western Australia

From humble beginnings in 1843, St Mary’s Cathedral is now the largest church building in Western Australia.

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Sat 6 Apr 9am - 10am 10am - 11am 11am - 12pm Sun 7 Apr 12pm - 1pm 1pm - 2pm

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St Mary's Cathedral

41 Victoria Square

Perth   WA   6000

St John's Pro-Cathedral

18 Victoria Square

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• St Mary's Cathedral

Come experience the awe-inspiring St Mary's Cathedral, Perth! Located in the heart of Victoria Square on Victoria Avenue, it is the official Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary and home to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Perth's Archbishop.

Completed in 1865, this magnificent church underwent a significant transformation in the 1920s with plans to replace it with a larger Perpendicular Gothic masterpiece. However, construction was halted by the Great Depression, resulting in a new transept and sanctuary with the aisle of the original cathedral as its nave. For 70 years, it remained unfinished and in need of extensive repairs until the late 1990s - 2000s when funds were raised for an expansion.

Behold the stunning new curved design featuring a second spire and an underground parish centre.

Don't miss out on seeing this architectural gem of Western Australia!

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St Mary's Cathedral

Perth's principal Catholic church.

Victoria Sq

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St. Mary's Cathedral

Plan your visit

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Also popular with travellers

St. Mary's Cathedral, Perth

• (0.20 km) The Westin Perth
• (0.17 km) All Suites Perth
• (0.17 km) Perth City Executive Apartments
• (0.17 km) 806 High in the sky Executive CBD Studio
• (0.17 km) 404 Big Beautiful One Bed & Balcony
• (0.17 km) Tansawa Modern Japanese
• (0.18 km) EAST Cafe & Vietnamese Bistro
• (0.16 km) Han's Cafe - Perth CBD
• (0.20 km) Garum By Guy Grossi
• (0.19 km) Peoples Inn Dumpling House

St. Mary's Cathedral

Plan your visit

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Also popular with travellers

St. Mary's Cathedral, Perth

• (0.13 mi) The Westin Perth
• (0.11 mi) All Suites Perth
• (0.11 mi) Perth City Executive Apartments
• (0.11 mi) 806 High in the sky Executive CBD Studio
• (0.11 mi) 404 Big Beautiful One Bed & Balcony
• (0.11 mi) Tansawa Modern Japanese
• (0.11 mi) EAST Cafe & Vietnamese Bistro
• (0.10 mi) Han's Cafe - Perth CBD
• (0.12 mi) Garum By Guy Grossi
• (0.12 mi) Peoples Inn Dumpling House

St. Mary’s Cathedral: A Secret Church in Downtown Joburg

by 2summers | May 9, 2024 | Johannesburg , Johannesburg City Centre , Museums and Buildings , Tours | 8 comments

Every time I think I’ve visited all the historic churches in downtown Joburg, another one pops out of the woodwork. My latest “discovery” is the spectacular Cathedral of St. Mary the Virgin , or St. Mary’s Cathedral, on Wanderers Street in the Joburg CBD.

I put the word “discovered” in quotes because I really mean “discovered by me”. St. Mary’s Cathedral is not actually a secret; it’s enormous, as you can see, and extremely historic and culturally significant.

St. Mary’s Cathedral was built between 1926 and 1929, although the congregation was established far earlier in 1887. Like St. Alban’s Cathedral downtown and Christ the King Anglican Church in Sophiatown , St. Mary’s was designed by architect Frank Fleming (who worked with Herbert Baker). St. Mary’s was one of downtown Joburg’s first racially integrated churches and played a big role in the struggle against apartheid. Desmond Tutu , who was appointed the first Black dean of the cathedral in 1975, considered St. Mary’s his spiritual home. Today St. Mary’s is still meticulously maintained and has a small yet active congregation.

However, due to its location in one of the most intimidating sections of downtown Joburg, I had never seen nor heard of St. Mary’s until I participated in a recent tour of the church by the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation .

Archbishop Tutu, who died in December 2021 at the age of 90, had hoped to have his funeral at St. Mary’s Cathedral and be buried there. Sadly, due to the decline of the area around St. Mary’s, Tutu’s funeral and burial took place at St. George’s Cathedral in Cape Town.

Our Tour of St. Mary’s Cathedral

Our tour took place the day after Freedom Day , the public holiday marking South Africa’s first democratic elections and the 30th anniversary of democracy in South Africa. The group met in front of Park Station and walked through the busy station, back out across De Villiers Street to the cathedral. We entered the church through the unobtrusive doors at the back, which double as an entrance to Darragh House.

Once inside, I was awestruck by the sudden transition from dense, chaotic city madness to soaring, silent cathedral.

The highlight of our visit was a brief organ recital by Sidney Place, who has been the St. Mary’s organist for the past 31 years.

Thank you to the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation (JHF) for introducing me to yet another hidden (in plain sight) downtown Joburg church. If you’re not a JHF member yet, I highly recommend becoming one — they are doing essential work to preserve the fragile heritage of this city. Also becoming a member gives you a discount on JHF tours.

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“I wish my pictures could play music” – LOL

Take some video with your phone next time <3

Hahaha, well of course I did that. But you know I’m way too lazy to create videos that are decent enough to put on my blog (and to figure out how to put videos on my blog at all).

Coming in from the chaos outside to the serenity inside is somewhat mind boggling. It sure is a very impressive church with so much history attached.

Yes, especially coming in through that weird entrance at the back!

Loving this Blog – Tessa and I being muso’s and she being a singer, we love visiting Kerks! And hearing the organ + choirs – Well done! [again!]

I also can’t get enough of the kerks 🙂

This is wonderful Heather thank you so much. I often learn so much from you. Most people, including myself, only know Tutu’s history from the 1980s onwards when he lived in Cape Town. This must have been in the 1970s.

Yes, I believe he lived in Joburg on and off until the mid-1980s. Also he had a house on Vilakazi Street in Soweto (hence that street becoming famous as being home to two Nobel Peace Prize winners at the same time).

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Heather Mason

I’m an American writer/blogger/photographer living a quirky life in Johannesburg. Follow along as I explore Johannesburg, South Africa, and the rest of the world.

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Relic of St. Jude makes a stop at cathedral in Garden Grove during SoCal tour

This is the first time the relic of St. Jude has left Rome in 1,700 years according to the director of the Vatican Pilgrimage.

By Hetty Chang and Missael Soto • Published April 30, 2024 • Updated on April 30, 2024 at 8:47 pm

Thousands of the faithful made their way to Orange County to experience an opportunity of many lifetimes.

For the first, and likely only time in history, the relic of St. Jude was taken out of Rome and has been touring the United States since September.

Several thousand people are expected to venerate the relic where it is on display at the Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove.

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Antoinette Chirgwin waited three hours before the doors opened Tuesday afternoon and said the reason for her visit was her mother who is battling cancer.

“When else am I going to do that?” said Chirgwin. “St. Jude is the saint of the impossible. My mom is battling cancer.”

This is her mother’s fourth cancer diagnosis and for believers like Chirgwin, St. Jude represents hope.

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“For the peace in the whole world, pray for the people who pass away,” wished Huntington Park resident, Mary Gray, who was visiting the Christ Cathedral.

The wooden carving that holds a bone fragment of St. Jude’s arm is displayed in a glass case in front of the Christ Cathedral. Each person in line is given ten seconds in front of the relic.

Those few moments are said to have brought miracles in the relic’s tour across the United States according to Carlos Martins, the director of Vatican Pilgrimage of the major relics of St. Jude.

“Her spine took a took a twist right in between her shoulder blades,” said Martins of a woman he met on the tour. “She came to the event and the next day she woke up and her brace wouldn’t fit her. Her spine is perfectly straight.”

Martins explained why many faithful hold such an infinity to St. Jude.

“He [St. Jude] being such a hero to people. It is very meaningful to people to encounter his relics. It facilitates an intimacy,” said Martins. “This arm, many times embraced the body of the world's savior. This is how close we are to Jesus to this moment”

The relic of St. Jude will be at the Christ Cathedral in California until the end of May.

For a complete list of dates and locations click here.

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Relic of St. Jude on US tour is now in Southern California

L OS ANGELES – For the first time in history, the relic of St. Jude, known as the saint of the impossible, was taken out of Rome and has been touring the United States.

Several thousand people flocked to the Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove where the relic was on display last week.

This is the first time the relic of St. Jude – one of the Catholic Church’s most beloved saints– has left Rome in 1,700 years, according to Carlos Martins, the director of Vatican Pilgrimage of the major relics of St. Jude.

Martins says Saint Jude’s visit offers a unique opportunity for devotees and the curious alike to experience a connection with one of the most venerated figures in Christian history.

“The visit provides an opportunity for individuals to experience intimacy with someone who dwells in Heaven and beholds God face-to-face,” he says. “It allows devotees to receive his blessing and entrust him with their petitions.”

“Saint Jude is the one to whom people turn when they are desperate and have tried everything else,” the tour website says. “When things seem lost or unbearable—when they seem hopeless—Saint Jude is the one to whom people often turn.”

Martins, who has been ministering with relics for almost 30 years, remarks, “God never disappoints but always ‘shows up’ at an exposition. There are healings at each one. Thousand have been reported to me. Spectacular ones. Attendees have reported cancer, heart disease, tumors, osteoporosis, physical deformities, etc., disappear immediately and completely.”

Though a great number of miracles have been physical, Martins says the most spectacular is the healing of faith, where a new and deeper relationship with God and His saints form in the faithful.

“It is wonderful to see a parish, school or prison renewed after an exposition. That is the basis for this ministry’s existence, and I cannot wait to see how Saint Jude will add to it,” he says.

About the relic

Saint Jude’s body was buried in the place of his martyrdom but was transferred to Rome during the time of Emperor Constantine.

His tomb rests directly below the main altar of the left transept of St. Peter’s Basilica. Several centuries ago, his arm was removed and placed in a simple wooden reliquary carved in the shape of a priestly arm, imparting a blessing.

The tour schedule, which continues to be expanded, can be found here .

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