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St John the Evangelist in Richmond, Australia - Encircle Photos

1 St John the Evangelist in Richmond, Australia

John Bede Polding was born in Liverpool and was a Benedictine monk. In 1835, he was appointed Bishop of Van Diemen’s Land, making him Australia’s first bishop. As part of his mission to better serve the religious needs of Catholic convicts in penal colonies across the island, he founded St John the Evangelist parish during an initial mass at the Woodburn homestead of John Cassidy. This church was finished in 1837 on Cassidy’s estate. Its Gregorian design is not surprising because the architect, Henry Edmund Goodridge, lived in Bath, an English city renowned for its Gregorian architecture. A few years later, the structure was expanded by Fredrick Thomas, a prisoner who had been convicted of forgery and swindling. Enjoy your visit to St John’s, Australia’s oldest Catholic church.

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St John the Evangelist in Richmond, Australia

38 St Johns Cir, Richmond TAS 7025, Australia

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