Bishop Francis Murphy arrived in Adelaide in 1844 to find his "cathedral" was a warehouse. With the building of a bishop's house at West Terrace and the opening of a church-school behind it in 1845, Bishop Murphy had a pro-cathedral. (This term seems not to have been used to describe St Patrick's, West Terrace.)

The diocese was established during a depression. The exodus to the goldfields in Victoria circa 1851 added to the financial woes of the bishop. The Cathedral was designed to be constructed in three stages so that the Diocesan finances would not be unduly stretched.

140 years after the Cathedral's foundation stone was laid, the cathedral was completed. It then became possible to dedicate the Cathedral. This was done on 11 July 1996. July 11 was chosen as this had been the date of the 1858 opening.

Cnr Grote St and West Tce, 1870,

showing Archbishop's House and the

original St Patrick's church.

The links to the right of this page refer to the various building stages and important events in the life of the Cathedral.

The Cathedral's patron saint, St Francis Xavier, is one of the patron saints of missionary endeavor. Bishop Murphy came to the then mission field of Australia. His own patron saint was St Francis Xavier.

In the Cathedral sanctuary, statues of the two saints of the missions, St Francis Xavier and St Therese of Lisieux, look down on to the altar and the adjacent grave site of the bishop-founder of the diocese.