St Andrew's Cathedral

About St Andrew's Cathedral

St Andrew's Cathedral is the cathedral of the Anglican diocese of Sydney. Located in the heart of Sydney, a short distance from Sydney Town Hall, St Andrew's Cathedral was consecrated in 1868, making it one of the oldest cathedrals in Australia. It is one of Sydney's finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture, and stands as "....a perfect example of the colonial desire to reproduce England in Australia in the mid nineteenth century". The person instrumental in its construction was Lachlan Macquarie, the early Governor of New South Wales.

St Andrew's Cathedral was built to the cruciform shape traditional of Christian Churches and symbolic of the faith. Like most cathedrals, it is orientated on an east-west axis, with the main door to the West and the sanctuary to the East. However, located to the east of St Andrew's Cathedral is George Street, Sydney's main thoroughfare. The noise from the street frequently drowned out the service of Holy Communion.

In 1941 the interior was reoriented. The West door of St Andrew's Cathedral was permanently closed and the Reredos was placed immediately in front of it. Although by doing this, the trams would not have seemed so loud, the effect on the internal acoustic was disastrous. Between 1999 and 2000 major conservation and restoration work was undertaken to restore the original internal layout, whereby the Sanctuary was relocated at the Cathedral's Eastern end.

Getting there

Location: Sydney Square, corner of George & Bathurst Streets
Contact: 9265 1661
Buses: George St routes
Nearest CityRail Station: Town Hall
Tours available, contact the cathedral for details

Nearby Sights

Queen Victoria Building

Great Synagogue

Lands Department Building

Marble Bar

Martin Place

Museum of Sydney

State Theatre

Strand Arcade

St Andrew's Cathedral Location Map

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St Andrew's Cathedral
Author: TTaylor (GFDL)

Source Attribution: Wikitravel and Wikipedia

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Sydney Travel Tips is researched and written by Timothy Tye, universally known as Tim. The information provided is in goodwill and is believed to be correct and up-to-date at time of writing. We disclaim responsible for its usage, and encourage users to recheck the information before their trip. Some photos are provided by Panoramio. Photos provided by Panoramio are under the copyright of their owners. They may only be used under the terms & conditions specified by Panoramio. Photographs that belong to Tim are copyrighted and may not be reused unless you first obtain permission. All of Tim's photographs are available for commercial use under the following licensing terms. Tim is a Christian. Click here to know more about his beliefs.