43. Sacred Heart Cathedral and adjacent Convent 1905 and 1900

This elegant Gothic-style stone cathedral replaced an 1887 iron and timber structure. Bishop John Dunne purchased the land for the Diocese in 1889 and asked architect W.T. Knox to submit plans for a new cathedral. his tender for £5500 was accepted. 

Bishop John Dunne laid the foundation stone in 1903 and dedicated the cathedral, built by M.K. Power, in 1905.  

In 1911 the original windows above the main altar were removed and replaced with three stained glass windows. A new baptistry was built beneath the bell tower in 1941. 

Major renovations to the cathedral were undertaken in 1959-1960. The wooden altar and communion rails were replaced with Italian marble, and a marble floor was laid in the sanctuary. The roof was clad with copper sheeting, and a copper-sheathed cross was placed on top of the bell tower. More stained-glass windows were installed around the Nave. 

The adjacent Convent complex was opened in 1900 by Archbishop O’Reilly of Adelaide. The convent was purchased by the Church of Christ in 1982.  

The adjacent school was originally a convent school run by the six Sisters of Mercy who were initially brought to Broken Hill by Bishop John Dunn in 1889 and by 1892 included secondary education. The present school building was erected in 1912. The Catholic secondary school system became co-educational in 1974.     

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