No. 1652 - Glenorchy - Savio College Chapel (1957-2003)
Savio College was one of four Catholic schools in greater Glenorchy that amalgamated in 1973 to form Dominic College, Tasmania’s first co-educational Catholic college. Along with Savio College, the other founding schools included St John's Primary; Savio Primary and Holy Name School.
Savio College was located on Tolosa Estate, a 28-hectare site that had housed the Catholic orphanage Boys’ Town, established in 1947. The College was was established in 1956 and run by the Salesians of Don Bosco. In 1957 a chapel was built at the College replacing temporary chapels used at Boys’ Town.
In 1956 Archbishop Guilford Young engaged Roderick Cooper – of the architectural practice Cooper & Vincent – as Diocesan Architect, and commissioned Cooper and his partner in practice Max Vincent, to design churches in the Modern architectural style across the State. One of the first of these buildings was Savio College Chapel which was built in 1957 and opened on 24 November in the same year. At the chapel’s official opening and blessing, Archbishop Young thanked the architects:
“They have used used the materials honestly. Form and beauty emerge from the structure and do not depend on superficial extras. The chapel with its towering pinnacle fits in admirably with its surroundings”.
The chapel was a brick structure and designed to seat 400 worshippers. There were seven large windows on each side which were painted with scenes of the Stations of the Cross painted on plasticised silk by artist George Browning. Another feature of the building was its high pitched roof, a dominant feature of other Cooper & Vincent churches such as St Patrick’s College Chapel in Launceston (1959) and Corpus Christi Catholic church in Bellerive (1965). Savio Chapel had two side altars, one for St John Bosco and the other for St Dominic Savio. Other features of the building included a choir gallery and built-in confessionals. A sacristy was located at the rear of the chapel.
The chapel was dedicated to St. Dominic Savio. The cost of the chapel, amounting to £20 000, which was funded from the will of Father Patrick Hayes of Burnie (1873-1954).
In 2003 Savio chapel was destroyed in a deliberately lit fire. It was replaced in 2006 by the current chapel at Dominic College, Mary Help of Christians.
All the photographs used in this article are sourced from and courtesy of Dominic College’s Facebook page.
Sources:
Dooley, Lorraine, 1945-. Building on firm foundations : the Cooper family in Tasmania, stonemasons, builders and architects / Lorraine Dooley Lorraine M Dooley Lenah Valley, Tas. 2014
Southerwood, W. T., 1938-. Priceless heritage : the Tasmanian Catholic community 1772-2010 / by W. T. Southerwood Stella Maris Books St. Leonards, Tas. 2010
https://www.facebook.com/DominicCollege
https://www.dominic.tas.edu.au/home/our-history
Savio College was located on Tolosa Estate, a 28-hectare site that had housed the Catholic orphanage Boys’ Town, established in 1947. The College was was established in 1956 and run by the Salesians of Don Bosco. In 1957 a chapel was built at the College replacing temporary chapels used at Boys’ Town.
In 1956 Archbishop Guilford Young engaged Roderick Cooper – of the architectural practice Cooper & Vincent – as Diocesan Architect, and commissioned Cooper and his partner in practice Max Vincent, to design churches in the Modern architectural style across the State. One of the first of these buildings was Savio College Chapel which was built in 1957 and opened on 24 November in the same year. At the chapel’s official opening and blessing, Archbishop Young thanked the architects:
“They have used used the materials honestly. Form and beauty emerge from the structure and do not depend on superficial extras. The chapel with its towering pinnacle fits in admirably with its surroundings”.
The chapel was a brick structure and designed to seat 400 worshippers. There were seven large windows on each side which were painted with scenes of the Stations of the Cross painted on plasticised silk by artist George Browning. Another feature of the building was its high pitched roof, a dominant feature of other Cooper & Vincent churches such as St Patrick’s College Chapel in Launceston (1959) and Corpus Christi Catholic church in Bellerive (1965). Savio Chapel had two side altars, one for St John Bosco and the other for St Dominic Savio. Other features of the building included a choir gallery and built-in confessionals. A sacristy was located at the rear of the chapel.
The chapel was dedicated to St. Dominic Savio. The cost of the chapel, amounting to £20 000, which was funded from the will of Father Patrick Hayes of Burnie (1873-1954).
In 2003 Savio chapel was destroyed in a deliberately lit fire. It was replaced in 2006 by the current chapel at Dominic College, Mary Help of Christians.
All the photographs used in this article are sourced from and courtesy of Dominic College’s Facebook page.
 |
| Savio Chapel was officially opened in November 1957. Source: Dominic College Facebook |
 |
| Savio Chapel with its rich woodwork and rich silk-painted windows depicting Stations of the Cross. Source: Dominic College Facebook |
 |
| The first Station of the Cross where Jesus is condemned to death. Painted on plasticised silk by artist George Browning. Source: Dominic College Facebook |
 |
| The third Station where Jesus falls for the first time. Painted on plasticised silk by artist George Browning. Source: Dominic College Facebook |
 |
| The Savio Chapel The photograph is from 1972and taken by photographer Peter Donnelly. Source: Dominic College Facebook |
 |
| On 25 May 2003 the Savio Chapel was destroyed in a deliberately fire. It was the first weekend of the school holidays. Source: Dominic College Facebook |
Sources:
The Standard, 29 November 1957, page 1
Dooley, Lorraine, 1945-. Building on firm foundations : the Cooper family in Tasmania, stonemasons, builders and architects / Lorraine Dooley Lorraine M Dooley Lenah Valley, Tas. 2014
Southerwood, W. T., 1938-. Priceless heritage : the Tasmanian Catholic community 1772-2010 / by W. T. Southerwood Stella Maris Books St. Leonards, Tas. 2010
https://www.facebook.com/DominicCollege
https://www.dominic.tas.edu.au/home/our-history
Comments
Post a Comment