Catholic missionaries, in the form of French Marists, came to the Ile des Pins in 1848. Earlier Protestant arrivals (1841) were either eaten or fled the island. Continue reading “Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption – Built By Ungodly Convicts”
St Edmunds Anglican Church
It is rather refreshing after visiting great cathedrals of Europe or indeed those of larger Australian cities to head out into country Australia and come across little wooden churches, in a popular Carpenter Gothic Style, like St Edmund’s in Tharwa. Continue reading “St Edmunds Anglican Church”
Old Royal Naval College Chapel – Not All That It Seems
Wandering around the exterior of the Old Royal Naval College (a naval hospital until 1873 and now the University of Greenwich) and a look at the grandness of the buildings in a setting next to none will leave the visitor with little doubt that this was no ordinary hospital for convalescing seamen in the late 1700s. Enter some of the buildings and most notably the Chapel or the Painted Hall (dining room) and you will be in no doubt. These buildings were built in the days when Britain ruled the waves – the days of Rule Britannia, when the navy was the premier service and money was no object (though I will come back to that latter comment about money). Continue reading “Old Royal Naval College Chapel – Not All That It Seems”
St Paul’s Cathedral
In 1859 the Anglican Diocese of St. Helena was established by Queen’s Order in Council, and included the islands of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, and until 1869 the British residents of Rio de Janeiro and other towns on the eastern seaboard of South America as well as the Falklands Islands. The first Bishop, Piers Claughton, was consecrated in Westminster Abbey in London. Continue reading “St Paul’s Cathedral”
St Michael’s Church and Edmund Halley
As you head towards Longwood House, as you undoubtedly will, just past Napoleon’s Tomb you will come across St Micheal’s Church on a nice little elevation on your right at Hutt’s Gate (just an intersection). Do stop for a closer look at this small but rather quaint church and its old graveyard either going up to Longwood or on your way back down. Continue reading “St Michael’s Church and Edmund Halley”
The Oldest Anglican Church in the Southern Hemisphere
St James Church in Jamestown is the oldest Anglican Church in the southern hemisphere. The East India Company was granted a charter by Oliver Cromwell in 1657 to fortify and colonise places of strategic value to it. The Company claimed St Helena on 5 May 1659 at which stage the first Anglican church was built. An earlier Portuguese church is recorded as existing on this site as far back as 1571. Continue reading “The Oldest Anglican Church in the Southern Hemisphere”
The Rambling Wombat 