St. Christophers Catholic Church, Manuka, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

Abstract

View looking north from Franklin Street of the front and left side of a large church built of pale bricks. In the distance can be seen the spire of St Andrews Presbyterian Church and Capital Hill, the site of the future New Parliament House. St. Christopher's exterior features extensive use of rounded arches; in doorways, windows and as a relief motif in the brickwork. Above the front entrance is a large circle composed of circular windows. Clement Glancey designed the church in 1935 in the Spanish Romanesque style. The first stage was opened in 1938 and in 1973 the building was complete when a campanile tower was erected. The church is now St Christopher Cathedral. The land it was built on was one of a number of five-acre sites offered in 1926 to the various Christian denominations by the Federal Capital's planners. The Catholic precinct in Forrest includes the Colonial Revival Convent of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan and the former St Christopher's School, both designed by S. Roarty and built in 1928. This photograph is from an album that was held at the London office of the Australian National University over the period 1949 to 1952. The album was used to inform prospective staff about Canberra. These images are part of the series produced by the Department of Information and kept at the National Archives of Australia in Canberra. National Archives holdings in this series have gaps and some images may be held only at the ANU Archives. Show more