St John's Cathedral, Parramatta

St John's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral located at Church Street in Parramatta, featuring distinctive twin towers and sandstone construction. The building displays Victorian Romanesque elements from its reconstruction in the 1850s and remains one of Australia's oldest continuously used places of worship.

The foundation stone was laid in 1797 by Governor John Hunter, marking the beginning of one of Australia's oldest religious sites. The original wooden structure was eventually replaced by the current stone building, which shaped Australia's Victorian era architecture.

The cathedral holds regular services in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Farsi, reflecting the diverse communities that call Parramatta home. Different language groups gather at different times, creating a space where many people feel welcome.

The cathedral is easy to find and accessible from the street, with multiple entrances for visitors. It helps to check the service times before visiting, as regular masses happen throughout the day in different languages, and the space may vary in how busy it is.

The original chapel was assembled in 1796 from two repurposed timber huts before the permanent stone structure was built. These humble beginnings show how religious institutions took shape through improvisation in Australia's early days.