The History of The Cathedral
Cathedral History
Situated above busy Town Hall Railway Station, St Andrew’s Cathedral is in the heart of Sydney. A popular tourist attraction, next to Sydney’s Town Hall, it is also a key evangelical church for overseas and interstate visitors.
We acknowledge with respect the Traditional Custodians of this land on which we now meet. In his wisdom and love, our Heavenly Father gave it to the Gadigal people of the Eora nation (see Acts 17:26). On this land, they met for generations before the coming of British settlers. As we now live together here, we pray that God would reconcile and unite us in a knowledge of his Son, Jesus Christ.
The Cathedral is the central gathering place for Diocesan events, being the “seat” of the Archbishop of Sydney. These events draw large numbers of people together from many parishes. For example, the 2010 ordination of 56 deacons saw both the Cathedral and its Chapter House overflowing, with supporters giving thanks to God and praying for the ongoing growth of churches everywhere.
The Cathedral is also the place for the consecration of our Bishops and Archbishop, special outreach events, and training and teaching conferences.
The wider community of Sydney also enjoy coming to the Cathedral for special occasions. When Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II last came to Sydney (2006) we held a very special service in her honour to commemorate Commonwealth Day. Many people have seen other special occasions at the Cathedral on television, such as State Funerals.
And yet for all the grand occasions, the Cathedral is also a great place to come for weddings. Many a couple will enjoy sharing their special day at St Andrew’s.
Even in the midst of a busy city, there are times when the Cathedral can be a place to sit quietly and pray and think. When we are open to visitors (check here) there are always people around to talk with about the building’s heritage and, yet more importantly, the gospel of the Lord Jesus,.
St Andrew’s Cathedral School has a close association with the Cathedral as well, since it was first established as a school for the Cathedral choir.
The Cathedral and the Chapter House are the venues for school assemblies and chapels during the week. The school has grown over the years, but still provides the choristers for the Cathedral choir, which sings during the week, and on Sunday mornings.
The Cathedral continues to be the centre of much of the Christian celebrations in the city throughout the year. At Christmas time especially, thousands of people come to the Cathedral, to hear again the message of the birth of our Saviour, celebrated in music and song and through the preaching.
St Andrew's Cathedral was founded in 1819 and consecrated in 1868. The Chapter House was built in 1886. Major restoration work was undertaken in 1999-2000 to bring the Cathedral up to its present state of good order.
