On Thursday 27 October, we mark a significant milestone for our cathedral, St Patrick’s: the 125th anniversary of its consecration. At 1pm there will be a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Peter A Comensoli to which you are warmly invited! In the lead-up, we thought we might take a closer look at some beautiful aspects of the cathedral and why it is such a gift for us today.
St Patrick’s Cathedral is an extraordinary feat of architecture and Melbourne is blessed to have been given this as part of our cultural and religious legacy. It also contains some beautiful works of art with impressive history and meaning. Here we take a closer look at three such works of art and their significance.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help
If you’ve been a visitor of St Patrick’s Cathedral throughout the years, you might have noticed this beautiful Byzantine icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. It’s a copy of the 13th century original and was written by Andrew Molcyzyk in 2002. Molcyzyk was responsible for the restoration of works at the Cathedral between 1995 and 1996.
The original icon has over centuries been associated with many healings and special graces. With the strength and gentleness depicted in Mary holding the Child Jesus, hovering in the upper corners of the icon are St Michael holding the spear, the wine-soaked sponge, and the crown of thorns and St Gabriel, holding the cross and nails. The usage of the golden background is said to convey the triumph of Christ over sin and death – a sign of the glory of the Resurrection.
The Archbishop’s Chair
No cathedral is technically a cathedral without the cathedra (Latin for ‘seat’) of a bishop. You’ll notice this is the chair Archbishop Peter sits on during Mass. If you look closely, the fabric is embroidered in a Celtic fashion reflecting the mosaics of the four evangelists taken from the Book of Kells. This same imagery was used in the sanctuary floor as part of the Cathedral’s restoration in the mid-90s. These classic symbols are of the Eagle, the Calf, the Man, and the Lion which represent evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
The Ascension Window
If you’ve sat near the west door at St Pat’s Cathedral, you’ll have no doubt noticed The Ascension Window. Built as part of the Western façade which could be seen by local Melburnians on Albert Street as early as 1862 during the Cathedral’s construction.
If you look closely and beyond the beautiful rich colours of the stained glass you will notice that the central panel features Christ ascending into Heaven with angels on either side of him carrying scrolls. The message on these scrolls are written in Latin text from the Acts of the Apostles, reading ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up to Heaven?’ and ‘This is Jesus who is taken from you into Heaven’.
Below the image of Jesus stand Mary and the eleven surviving apostles while Old Testament figures accompany Christ on his journey into Paradise. Further above are the ancient Christian symbols of Christ as the Paschal Lamb with a flag flying a red cross.
