| St Ambrose Church | |
|---|---|
 St Ambrose Church, Brunswick | |
 St Ambrose Church | |
| 37°46′16″S144°57′39″E / 37.77098°S 144.96095°E /-37.77098; 144.96095 | |
| Location | 261 - 289Sydney Road,Brunswick,Melbourne,Victoria |
| Country | Australia |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | bmcatholiccommunity |
| History | |
| Status | Church |
| Founded | 1869 |
| Dedication | Saint Ambrose |
| Dedicated | 1873 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Construction cost | £6,000 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Bluestone |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Melbourne |
| Parish | Brunswick and Moreland |
| Clergy | |
| Priest | Fr. Michael Casey |
St Ambrose Church is aRoman Catholicchurch located onSydney Road inBrunswick, a suburb ofMelbourne,Victoria,Australia.[1][2]
In the second half of the 19th century, the land where the church building now stands belonged to Mr. Michael Dawson of Brunswick.[3] However, in 1860, it was also used as a camp for nomadic Aboriginals.[4]
In the late 1860s, Dawson donated the land to the Catholic Church for a new church to be built in the neighbourhood.[3] Prior to this, Catholics who lived in Brunswick had to go toCoburg, north of Brunswick, or to theMelbourne central business district, south of Brunswick.[3] The church was named in honour ofSaint Ambrose (340–397), who served as theArchbishop ofMilan inItaly in the fourth century AD, after an Italian family from Milan who lived in Brunswick suggested it.[3]
The first foundation stone was laid in 1869, with 800 Catholics in attendance.[3][5] After spending£6,000, the building was completed in 1873.[3]
In 1890, it became a parish church, cut off from the Coburg parish.[3] Nine years later, in 1899, the church building was extended, with additionaltransepts, a sanctuary, two chapels, a porch and a baptistry.[3] On 19 February 1899 a memorial stone was also added near the northern transept.[3]
DuringWorld War I, it was a meeting place for the anti-conscription movement.[2]
The church building was restored in 2000.[3]
The church building was designed in theGothic Revival architectural style, with a cruciform plan.[2] The wall are made ofbluestone, and the roof is made of timber.[2][3] There is also an organ dating back to the nineteenth century, and stained glass windows.[3]
It has been listed byHeritage Victoria with a "Heritage Overlay," which aims to protect places of local significance to Victoria.[2]
