The Cathedral
The current building opened in 1884. It was designed by Nathaniel Billing with a Gothic interior, characterised by the pointed arches. The roof buttressing is made from oregon and resembles the upside-down keel of a boat – a common architectural feature in churches.
The symbolism of the ship comes from many Bible stories, including Noah’s Ark, in which the people and animals were saved from the flood, and the Gospel stories of Christ stilling the storm on the lake, when he was out in a boat with his disciples. Thus the boat came to be an early Christian symbol for the church. The ‘nave’ of the church, where the congregation sits, comes from the Latin ‘navis’, meaning ship.
Gothic Architecture and Tracery Windows
Stained glass windows in older churches are colorful expressions of faith that developed during medieval times in Europe. These were a prominent feature of towering Gothic churches. Gothic was a style of architecture that developed in France around 1140. While the making of coloured glass dates to late Roman times, advances in building techniques during the Middle Ages enabled ceilings to grow higher and be supported by elements other than exterior walls.
Another construction advance that enabled large stained glass windows was tracery, which was a series of structural stone supports between sections of glass. Tracery helped support the weight of the wall, while still allowing windows to take up increasing amounts of space.
Tracery allowed windows to become larger and more elaborate.
Gothic stained glass windows conveyed Bible stories in a colourful visual form at a time when many people could not read.
St Paul’s Stained Glass Windows
In the cathedral, the older windows, installed from 1867 to 1957, the front and back windows and three on the LHS near the pulpit reflect the more traditional style of stained glass windows. In these we find darker colours and greater attention to detail. In the more recent additions the emphasis is less upon detail and more upon warm, glowing colours which take advantage of the bright Australian light.
Objects and Furnishings around the cathedral
Left hand Side:
The baptismal font was presented to the original church by Captain John William Jones of Fulham in 1860. His son Ernest William was the first child to be baptised at this font. Captain Jones’ sister, Mrs Kensall, was the first organist of the church.
On the LHS wall we find some interesting icons. The first icon shows St Paul holding his Epistles; alongside it is an embroidered panel of St Francis. The second icon depicts ‘Jesus-Lord of all’ The third shows St. Paul holding his Epistles (letters he wrote to the early churches).
The marble pulpit with brass railings was installed in 1929. The marble was quarried at Buchan in Gippsland, Victoria. The pulpit incorporates a memorial stone commemorating Bishop Arthur Pain.
On the wall behind the pulpit is a collection of stones from a variety of church buildings. It includes a stone from the first St Paul’s church built in Raymond St.
Up the steps is the bishop’s chair or throne. It is called a Cathedra which is the Greek word for seat. The cathedral is the only church in the Diocese where there is a Cathedra. The intricately carved cathedra was installed in 1902 on the enthronement of Bishop Arthur Pain.
The Staff, shaped like a shepherd’s crook, is the symbol of the Bishop's pastoral care. It is placed alongside the Bishop’s throne, and used by the Gippsland Bishop during services.
There are two Bishop’s staffs. The modern one is by the throne with the Anglican Diocese of Gippsland crest, whilst the older, ornate one, presented in 1902, is in the Lady Chapel. It is inscribed with the names of former Bishops of Gippsland.
A brass plaque in the floor near the high altar marks the final resting place of the ashes of Bishop George H Cranswick, the 2nd Bishop of Gippsland, and his wife Olive. Thirty-two new churches were established under his guidance and nine were restored.
The high altar has the symbols Λ, Ω and IHS on the front, and these can also be found in the window above, and RHS 3 Window.
Alpha (Λ, Α or α) and Omega (Ω or ω) are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, and a title of Christ and God in the Book of Revelation. (Rev 1: 8 and 22:13)
The Christogram IHS is a monogram symbolizing Jesus Christ. From Greek it is an abbreviation of the name ΙΗΣΟΥΣ (Jesus). Dating from the 8th century, this abbreviation for “IHESUS,” was the way Christ’s Name was spelled in the Middle Ages.
Above hangs a red light, the Sanctuary Lamp
In the Old Testament book of Exodus 27.20/21 God commands Aaron to keep a lamp shining at all times before the Ark of the Covenant, a place of God’s presence.
In Christian churches the lamp serves as a reminder of the constant presence of God who is with us everywhere.
The embroidered kneelers remind us that the Cathedral is the Mother Church for the parishes in the Diocese of Gippsland. Many kneelers are inscribed with the name of a parish or church centre in fine needlepoint. They were made by people from across the Diocese in a project led by Elizabeth McKenzie in 1977 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Diocese.
Right Hand Side
Just below the high altar there is a Gothic arch on the right (where the Organ was originally). The cross above the arch commemorates the work of the Deaconesses in the Diocese.
The pipe organ was built by George Fincham in 1882 for musician and composer Dr Joseph S Summers. It was originally placed where the arch to the Lady Chapel now is. (In 1981 it was restored and is one of the oldest pipe organs still in use in Australia. It has 640 pipes and originally a young person pumped it by hand.
The Eagle lectern from which the Bible is read. Like all symbols the eagle represents a range of meanings. As well as the direct association with John’s gospel the eagle has come to represent the Word of God in scripture generally – powerful and dynamic as it is proclaimed, going out into all the world. An eagle is certainly powerful and dynamic as it soars and glides.
Among many Bible references to eagles we read in Isaiah : ‘Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles …’ (Isaiah 40.31)
On the lower side of the organ hangs The Wild Goose Sculpture. This is a Celtic symbol of the Holy Spirit. It was created in response to Bishop John McIntyre’s sermon at Synod in 2006 describing the wild goose as his favourite image of the Holy Spirit. In the ancient tradition “chasing the wild goose” was an expression for seeking to go the way we are called by the Spirit of God. Made by local artist Alex Griffiths , the sculpture was dedicated in 2018.
The tameable dove, a more peaceful symbol of the Holy Spirit and often referred to in the bible, can be found in several of the windows.
The original parish Hall, at the back of our carpark, was renamed Delbridge Hall in 1982 after the sixth Bishop of Gippsland, the Rt Rev’d Graham Delbridge. It is now a privately owned Funeral Chapel. During the refurbishments of 2007 the ‘new’ Delbridge Hall was built on the old croquet lawn and joined to the cathedral at the old side door. A new, larger Lady Chapel was incorporated into the area, and the cathedral refurbished.
References
Cranswick, George Harvard (1882–1954) by Albert B. McPherson in the Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 13, 1993; online in 2010
Canon Clark (1947) The Church of our Fathershttps://fergusonandurie.wordpress.com https://fergusonandurie.wordpress.com/glossary/
https://study.com/academy/lesson/stained-glass-windows-in-gothic-architecture.html
An information book written by Max and Enid Davis in 1986 with detailed descriptions of all the windows. This is the basis of what is on our website.
