Attractions to See
St Patrick's Church - Grote Street
Grote Street – In 1844 Dr Francis Murphy was consecrated as South Australia's first Catholic bishop.
In the twenty-first century it is primarily used for services in languages other than English.
A school intended to serve temporarily as a church was opened on 5 October 1845.
Two months later the foundation stone for Adelaide's first Catholic church, St Patrick's was laid.
In 1846-47 the school-church was expanded by the additional of a gallery.
St Patrick's Church was the principal place of Catholic worship in Adelaide until
St Francis Xavier Cathedral opened on Wakefield Street in 1858.
By the early twentieth century St Patrick's was too small for its congregation, and the
new, much larger building standing today (said to be based on the Church of the Holy Spirt in Florence)
was designed by the architects Woods and Bagot.
The original 1844 church was demolished in 1959 because of salt damp and today, the original site
is primarily used as a car park behind the existing new church built closer to Grote Street.
The original plan included a large dome and sacristy but these aspects of
the renaissance style building were not implemented due to limited funds and
the commencement of the first World War.
The foundation stone for the new St Patrick's church was laid on 10 November 1912.
An estimated 10,000 people attended the ceremony on the corner of Gray and Grote Streets.
Today, all are welcome to attend the Church.
St Patrick's is ideal for weddings catering for up to 500 guests,
please click here for wedding information.