St. Benedict's Catholic Church

St. Benedict's Catholic Church was built for Archbishop Polding between 1845 and 1856, according to a design by British architect AW Pugin. The site had been prepared since 1841, and Archbishop Polding placed the foundation stone for the church on July 21, 1845. A schoolhouse stood next to the chapel, where classes began in 1838.

Pugin was one of England's most prominent nineteenth-century architects, producing over 100 buildings and thousands of ornamental metalwork objects, jewelry, furniture, and wallpaper during his brief career. Pugin, a proponent of the Gothic Revival style, was responsible for most of the ornamentation and interior fitting of the British Houses of Parliament, as well as a number of churches across the country. St Benedict's is the largest example of Pugin's work in New South Wales, as it is one of only six Pugin designs (five of which were built).

St. Benedict's was a huge church with a prominent location on the corner of George Street West (Broadway) and Abercrombie Street when it was opened. It was colonial New South Wales' second major Catholic church to be completed. An eight-bay nave and a chancel with two and a half bays flanked by eastern chapels were built in the new church. In the 1850s, a peal of bells was added, and it is still one of Australia's oldest.

Address: 104 Broadway, Chippendale NSW 2008, Australia

Year of Construction: 1845

Website: https://stbenedicts.org.au/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stbensbroadway/