St James' Church is an Anglican church in King Street in Sydney, Australia, known by Sydneysiders as St James' King Street. It is the oldest church building in Sydney and has been in continuous use from its consecration on 11 February 1824.[1] The building was originally designed to serve as a courthouse[2] - a purpose betrayed by the unusual classical form and central positioning of the northern porch (which also serves as the main entrance) - but was modified prior to construction as a church with the addition of a steeple at the western end.
Contents |
History
The church was designed by the convict and architect Francis Greenway in the Old Colonial Regency style[3] and consecrated in 1824. Further changes were made in 1894 and from 1904 to 1907.[4] Although not the first Anglican church in the colony, St James' is now the oldest church in the centre of Sydney and has a special role in the city's religious and social life. For example, the beginning of the legal year is marked with a service attended by the Supreme Court justices in ceremonial costume.
Dan Cruickshank described the church as one of the world's eighty greatest man-made treasures in his television series Around the World in 80 Treasures.
The building is now listed on the Register of the National Estate.[5]
Location
St James' Church is located in King Street, Sydney, in the heart of Sydney's legal and commercial district. Adjacent to St James' Church are, clockwise from the west, the old Supreme Court court house; Sydney Law School; the Law Courts building housing the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the High Court of Australia facilities in Sydney, Queen's Square, and Hyde Park. Located to the south-east of the Church is the underground and eponymous St James railway station, Sydney. The locality around the church is sometimes called "St James".
Worship
St James' is a church that worships in a High Anglican or Anglo-Catholic, rather than the Low Church style common in the Diocese of Sydney. The Guild of Servers are present at all main services and ensure the highest standard of ceremony in worship. It is also known for taking a more liberal and theologically aberrant stance than many other churches in the diocese on certain issues, particularly sexuality and the ordination of women. Associate Professor Michael Horsburgh is a reader and regular preacher at the church. The Rector of St. James' from 2001 until 22 November 2009 is the Revd Peter Kurti, and the Associate Rector is the Revd John Stewart.[7]
Festival services at St James' are popular and known for the high standard of liturgy and music. In particular the festival of Easter, Advent Carols, Nine Lessons & Carols, Christmas Eve Midnight Mass and the January orchestral masses are high points of the church's year.
St James' is also famous[citation needed] for the work of its music department. The church possesses a fine three-manual pipe organ and promotes many and varied concerts and recitals throughout the year. The professional choir of adults sings weekly at the 11am Choral Eucharist, monthly at the 3.00 pm Choral Evensong held on the final Sunday of the month, as well as at a number of midweek feast days held during the year. Organist David Drury was the Head of Music from 1997-2007. The current Head of Music is Warren trevelyan-jones, the Organist is Andrej Kouznetsov, and the Organ Scholar is Frank Tamsitt.
Tourism
As one of Sydney's most historic buildings, St. James' attracts many tourists to see the features of the Church, from the contemporary stained glass of the Holy Spirit Chapel, to the unique decoration of the Children's chapel.
See also
References
- ^ Heritage NSW, Statement of Significance, updated November 1997.
- ^ St James' Website:Retrieved 20th December 2008
- ^ A Pictorial Guide to Identifying Australian Architecture, Apperly (Angus and Robertson) 1994, p.28
- ^ The Heritage of Australia, Macmillan Company, 1981, p.2/96
- ^ The Heritage of Australia, p.2/95
- ^ The Heritage of Australia, p.2/95
- ^ St James' Website: Retrieved 25th August 2009
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sydney Architecture |
External links
- St James' Church website
- Heritage NSW record, Updated November 1997
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
