Weekly Photo Challenge ~ Converge

From Victoria Avenue, the view of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, more simply known as St Mary’s Cathedral, is similar to most other churches of its kind anywhere in the world. The imposing stone structure is complete with beautiful stained glass windows and a spired bell tower.

Come around the corner into Perth’s Victoria Square and a different view reveals the cathedral’s true character. It was built in three phases over the last 150 years and instead of blending each new part in with the original, the designers have created a building which showcases the old side by side with the new.

The first part of the cathedral was completed in 1865 in the Gothic style. Plans were made and funds raised to expand the cathedral in the Academic Gothic style in the 1920s but the Great Depression meant that the building program was never completed. After a bequest in 1999, the completion of the cathedral began and the new church was officially opened on 8 December, 2009.

Both inside and out St Mary’s Cathedral seamlessly blends the past and the present with its unique and distinctive style.

Weekly Photo Challenge – Converge