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How
old is this building?
The Foundation Stone was laid by the Duke of Cornwall & York in 1901 Building
occurred in 2 stages: East End & 1 bay of the Nave 1906 - 1910; further 2 bays
of Nave 1964 - 1968. |
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When
will the West End be completed?
Final bay of the Nave and all internal space of the West End
is on schedule for completion by 2007. The towers will follow
as funds become available. This is the only cathedral under construction
which employs traditional medieval building techniques in the
world today. |
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Who
pays for this building?
By mid 2005, a public appeal launched in 1988 has raised
in excess of $27million. This has been raised from a growing
number of private individuals, corporations, Trusts, Foundations,
Bequests, Cathedral Chapter, and with gifts from Federal,
State and Local Governments.
By mid 2005, another $10.5million is still required to
complete the building of internal space to enable its full
use and also to complete the 2 towers on the West End.
The Central bell tower will require an extra $3million.
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Why
wasn't the cathedral completed?
Insufficient funding was the reason why the building stopped in 1910 and 1968. |
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Where
does the building stone come from?
With the exception of a portion of the early building which used sandstone
from Sydney, the interior is constructed of Sandstone from Helidon, west of
Brisbane. The cathedral owns the quarry thus guaranteeing good supply for the
building completion.
Brisbane
Tuff, locally known as porphyry, is used for the exterior
and comes from a quarry in the Lutwyche district near to
central Brisbane. The stone was purchased by the cathedral
before the area was developed, and is now in storage to
complete the West End exterior. |
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How
high will the spires be when completed?
Tops of the Spires will be approximately 50 metres from ground level when completed
in 2006. |
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How
high is the ceiling?
The ceiling is 17 metres high and is the only completely stone-vaulted
gothic-style building in the southern hemisphere. |
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Where
do you find stone masons with skills to build a medieval
cathedral?
The Master
Mason, Peter Dare, is an Englishman with expertise in Gothic buildings
who spends most of the year in Brisbane carving specialist features and overseeing
the building.
Other
masons are employed from within Australia and some
come having trained at TAFE. All the masons are pleased
to be
working on a project like this one. |
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Who
made the cushions on the pews?
A team of ladies and men from across the diocese worked more
than 400 cushions in canvas stitch over a 10 year period. They
were designed by Queensland College of Art students around 1980
and show local flora and fauna. |
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What
are the chapels used for?
The Lady Chapel and the Southern Chapels are used for week-day prayer services
and the Eucharist, for smaller gatherings on Sundays and for private devotions. |
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Is
the Lady Chapel just for women?
The Lady Chapel is named after Mary, the mother of Jesus and contains several
images of mother and child, including the nativity story told in the needlework
cushions designed by artist, David Binns. |
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How
many people worship here on Sundays?
Over three Services on a normal Sunday, more than 350 people attend the cathedral.
Around 200 people attend the main Service, a Choral Eucharist at 9.30am, at which
the Cathedral Choir sings in school term time. |
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Why
do people light candles by the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament?
When people wish to pray in private, they sometimes find the act of lighting
a candle a helpful sign that their prayer continues beyond the boundaries of
time. Christians believe that the light is a sign of Jesus Christ's presence
in their prayer. |
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Who
carved the Choir Stalls?
An early section is carved in teak and was part of the original furnishings in
1910, but Colin Blumson and particularly his son Colin Blumson Jnr, both Queensland artists,
carved the greater proportion of Choir stalls and canopies in Queensland Maple
and Queensland Silkwood over a period of about 40 years, the first work beginning
in 1957. They are in the tradition of Gothic chancel furnishing. |
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Do
you have a choir?
The Cathedral Choir
continues the tradition of cathedral music and has a male voice
choir of male trebles and adult singers. As well, there is a
women's choir, a mixed voice choir, and a chamber choir. The
choir sings for the Choral Eucharist and Sung Evensong each
Sunday, under the direction of Cathedral
Director of Music. |
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Why
are the windows so narrow?
The windows are narrow because that is the gothic style of architecture, with
the exception of the Wheel Window which is always found somewhere in a gothic-style
building and pre-dates the more common rose window shape. The Wheel Window is
in the North Transept of St John's Cathedral.
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Why
is there a flag disintegrating near the Southern Chapel?
The colours (flag) represent the spirit of a military regiment, and when they
are replaced by new colours, the old are laid up in a cathedral or sacred place
with great military ceremony.
The
tradition is that they are allowed to disintegrate over time
to be replaced by a new colour. They are not repaired, but
are to hang until they drop and the remains are swept out with the dust of the floor. The
ragged colours amongst those laid up in St John's are from
the 15th Infantry Battalion laid up in 1953. |
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Is
the Font used very often?
The font is used for baptisms, or initiation into the Christian faith. Baptisms take
place in St John's every few weeks. The font was designed by the original architect
in 1888 and is made of Belgium marble and Fossiliferous limestone. |
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What
Christian denomination is St John's Cathedral?
St John's Cathedral is the mother church for the Anglican Church in the Diocese
of Brisbane, which is part of the Anglican
Church of Australia. |
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Is
the Queen of England the head of the Anglican Church?
Queen Elizabeth II is the Defender of the Faith in the Church of England in England
only: an historical position linking State and Church existing only in that country.
The Anglican Church in Australia is part of the world-wide Anglican Communion
but remains autonomous and with no official links with the State in this country. |
