Local Government
Perth
Region
Metropolitan
86 Victoria Square Perth
Lot 123 D 1641, Lot 124 D 1641, Lot 125 D 1641, Lot 7 D 20489, Lot 8 D 30321, Lot 123 D 30321, Lot 9 D 30321, Lot 2 D 10156, Lot 50 D 4598, Lot 126 D 1641, Lot 127 D 1641, Lot C14 P 223021, Lot C15 P 223021
Chapel of Immaculate Conception
Perth
Metropolitan
Constructed from 1924
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heritage List | Adopted | 20 Dec 1985 |
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| (no listings) |
| Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | ||||
| Municipal Inventory | Completed\Draft | 28 May 2023 | ||
| Municipal Inventory | Adopted | |||
| Local Heritage Survey | Completed\Draft | 13 Mar 2001 | Category 1 | |
| Local Heritage Survey | Adopted | 28 May 2023 | Category 1 | |
04327 Mercedes College Group, Perth
The place is of aesthetic and historic significance as one of the historic buildings related to the development of Mercedes Convent and Victoria Square by the Sisters of Mercy in particular and by the Roman Catholic Church The place represents the focus of the Roman Catholic Church in Western Australia from the 1840s. The place is of social significance to Sisters of Mary, students, past students, and members of the Roman Catholic Church in Western Australia.
Church characterised by brick massing punctuated with rendered details. Steeply pitched gable roofs, wheel window and tourelles. The alter at the east end of the Chapel is in a segmented apse. Internally the building has barrel vaulted ceilings and Italianate style frescos.
The Sisters of Mercy arrived in Perth from Ireland in 1846, led by Mother Ursula Frayne. After arriving in Perth, in 1846 the sisters became the first female religious teaching order to establish a school in Australia. Having navigated sectarism in Ireland, they decided to offer a general education to all Christians. The sisters prioritised Aboriginal people, immigrant Irish orphan girls, the poor and the uneducated. The sisters established a fee-paying school, benevolent institution and Western Australia’s first high school. The ornate English Gothic style chapel designed by prominent church architect E le B Henderson. Purpose built initially as a chapel for the adjoining Convent of the Sisters of Mercy. The Sisters of Mercy used their own money to build the convent at Victoria Square in 1848 but it was not until 1924 that the chapel was constructed. The chapel has a high barrel-vaulted ceiling and stained glass windows, within Romanesque arches. The murals in the dome were painted in Italy, on canvas, by an Italian nun and purchased in Rome in the early 1930s by Mother Brigid McDonald. The Pipe Organ built by Roberts Ltd, Adelaide was installed in the Chapel in 1926. Many elements in the chapel were created by local craftsmen. The stalls were designed and made of polished jarrah wood, and the bell was cast at the foundry of Frederick Metters in Subiaco. The sisters have since moved out of the convent, and the building is now the Mercy Heritage Centre. The chapel is now used as the school chapel for Mercedes College.
Integrity - High Authenticity - High level of authenticity as it is largely intact
Good
| Name | Type | Year From | Year To |
|---|---|---|---|
| E Le B Henderson | Architect | - | - |
| Ref ID No | Ref Name | Ref Source | Ref Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.76/86B | COP Heritage Places File | City of Perth | |
| Mercedes College: Victoria Square, Perth: Conservation Plan. | Parry and Rosenthal | March 1999 |
Individual Building or Group
| Epoch | General | Specific |
|---|---|---|
| Present Use | RELIGIOUS | Church, Cathedral or Chapel |
| Original Use | RELIGIOUS | Church, Cathedral or Chapel |
| Style |
|---|
| Inter-War Gothic |
| Type | General | Specific |
|---|---|---|
| Roof | TILE | Terracotta Tile |
| Wall | BRICK | Face Brick |
| General | Specific |
|---|---|
| PEOPLE | Early settlers |
| DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY | Immigration, emigration & refugees |
| DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY | Land allocation & subdivision |
| SOCIAL & CIVIC ACTIVITIES | Education & science |
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