10-YEAR PLAN FOR RESTORATION OF ONE OF MELBOURNE'S OLDEST CATHEDRAL ANNOUNCED
25 Mar 2026
An ambitious $190-million plan to restore and renew one of Australia’s most significant cathedrals has been unveiled in Melbourne. The project, Light into the City, is a long-term effort to revitalise one of the city’s most significant spiritual, cultural and architectural landmarks. The renewal project will turn the Cathedral’s surrounds into a true community precinct, a site for art, culture and education and a resource for outreach to vulnerable members of the community.
The Archbishop of Melbourne launched the plan for St Patrick’s Cathedral and its surrounding precinct on St Patrick’s Day, with the vision expected to be delivered over 5 to 10 years in multiple stages.
The first stage will focus on urgent restoration works to the cathedral, widely regarded as one of the world’s finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture, which opened in 1897. Plans for this stage also include the construction of a new adjacent assembly building with improved facilities and flexible event spaces, such as providing new restrooms, a new multi-purpose building and an onsite café, with new architecture by Candalepas Associates.
Landscaping upgrades will also be undertaken to make the precinct more accessible and welcoming, with landscape architecture by Teresa Moller Landscape Studio.
The second stage will involve restoring the Presbytery and the Cardinal Knox Centre, both heritage buildings within the precinct. These spaces may later be used for cultural, artistic and social outreach initiatives.
A possible third stage, still in early planning, would include new facilities for mission agencies to expand the Church’s social impact across Victoria.
Archbishop Comensoli described the initiative as an act of stewardship and an invitation to the wider community. He said the cathedral had served as a place of prayer, beauty, welcome and refuge for more than 125 years, that the project aimed to preserve this legacy while ensuring the site continued to serve Catholics, visitors and the broader public for generations to come.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke on the announcement, “St Patrick’s is more than just a cathedral for Victoria’s large and diverse Catholic community – it’s a precinct of heritage, education and culture."
The first stage is due to begin later this year.
