St Christopher’s Roman Catholic Cathedral

The Roman Catholic Cathedral was originally intended for a site just to the south of the City precinct and would have overlooked Lake Burley Griffin, but the proposal fell victim to the depression. St Christopher’s Roman Catholic Cathedral, situated on Manuka Circle and Furneaux Street in Griffith, started off as a church attached to a convent and school. The building was designed by Sydney architect Clement Glancy, who was responsible for a vast amount of work for the Roman Catholic Church during the interwar era, as a cream brick version of what might be termed Stripped Romanesque. The church was opened by Prime Minister Robert Menzies in 1939. It became a Pro-Cathedral in 1948, then a Co-Cathedral in 1955. The building was enlarged in 1973 to the design of Clement Glancy junior – the nave was extended and the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament and the campanile constructed.

Return to Canberra page