St John's Cathedral, Anglican cathedral in Brisbane, Australia
St John's Cathedral is a Gothic Revival Anglican cathedral on Ann Street in Brisbane's central business district, built of sandstone in shades of grey, brown and pink. Its main facade has two tall towers with dark pointed spires and crosses, rows of narrow arched windows, and a gabled entrance with a recessed arched doorway and a large traceried window above. To the right, a lower section with a steep dark pyramidal roof and a red-tiled pitched roof extends outward. The interior has double aisles and a stone-vaulted ceiling.
Bishop William Webber commissioned John Loughborough Pearson to sketch plans in 1885–86, and the project was launched in 1887 for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. After the state government bought the original site, the Ann Street site was purchased in 1899; the Duke of Cornwall and York laid the foundation stone on 22 May 1901. Built in three stages between 1906 and 2009, it was consecrated in 1910 and again after each stage.
The cathedral's name honours St John the Evangelist, to whom the building is dedicated. Its choir of men and boys sings the traditional Anglican repertoire alongside more adventurous works, and the Camerata of St John's orchestra gives several concerts here each year. The four-manual pipe organ, the largest cathedral organ in Australia, draws recitalists from around the world.
The cathedral is located on Ann Street in Brisbane's central business district and is easily accessible on foot. It serves as both a place of worship and a venue for musical performances and ceremonies.
Stonemasons cut every block for the west front and towers at a quarry the cathedral authorities bought at Helidon, 100 km from Brisbane, then trucked the finished stone to Ann Street; the quarry was sold in 2012 for $250,000. The last stage, from 1989 to 2009, was overseen by Peter Dare, Master Mason of Exeter Cathedral.
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