St. Patrick's Church, Sydney

St Patrick's Catholic Church is an iconic landmark in the heart of The Rocks, an inner-city suburb of Sydney. As the oldest surviving Catholic church in the city, it has a rich history that dates back to its opening in 1844. The property is owned by the Trustees of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, while the Marist Fathers, a religious order, have administered the parish since 1868.

The church was built on land donated by William Davis, a Catholic emancipist who had sponsored Catholic prayer at his home when there was no resident priest in Sydney. Plans for the church advanced in 1840, with the site chosen to be close to the ex-convict working-class neighborhoods in The Rocks, and the foundation stone was blessed on 25 August. However, the original design by William Fernyhough was deemed unsuitable, and John Frederick Hilly was hired to redesign it.

Built by Andrew Ross & Co. from 1840 to 1844, the church was dedicated on 18 March 1844. It was named after Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, but was not dedicated on Saint Patrick's Day to avoid potential violence and religious bigotry. The church had no resident priest at first, with the first associated cleric, Francis Murphy, appointed apostolic vicar of Adelaide in 1842. John McEncroe became the first permanent parish priest in 1861, and he entrusted the parish to the French Marist Fathers, who have administered it ever since.

The church opened a parochial school in 1865, operated by the Sisters of Mercy. It was originally located in the crypt of the church and moved to a separate school building in 1876. The church and school, along with nearby Scots Kirk and Saint Philip's Anglican Church, gave rise to the area being nicknamed "Church Hill."

Saint Patrick's Church is associated with the heritage-listed Federation Hall located at 24-30 Grosvenor Street, which was built as a parish hall and was used for that purpose until 1914. The property was sold by the parish in the 1920s.

Despite concerns about its viability in the early twentieth century due to developments such as the plague epidemic of 1900 and the redevelopment of The Rocks from a residential to a commercial area, as well as the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Saint Patrick's Church has remained popular for Catholic services. It is one of the busiest churches in Australia. In 1999, the church underwent a major restoration, which included the installation of a new Fratelli Ruffatti pipe organ. Today, Saint Patrick's Church is a must-visit for tourists interested in the history of Sydney and its Catholic heritage.