St Marys Roman Catholic Church, Ipswich 2.12

St Mary's Roman Catholic Church is a heritage-listed church precinct at Mary Street, Ipswich, City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1874 to 1970s. It is also known as the former St Brigids Convent. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.HistoryThe first presbytery, a timber cottage, was built in 1860, but by the 1870s was in extremely poor condition. The congregation of St Mary's and the parish priest at the time, Father Andrew Horan, agreed to build a more substantial building. The present presbytery, built in 1876, was designed by the Italian architect Andrea Stombuco who had moved to Brisbane in 1875. This structure is the oldest building in the St Mary's Precinct. The Neo-Classical style building was built of stone and plastered inside and out with Portland cement.DescriptionSt Mary's Presbytery is a two storeyed stone building constructed in the manner of an Italian villa, to the design of the architect Andrea Stombuco. It is rectangular in plan with a stair hall leading to four rooms at each level.Heritage listingSt Mary's Roman Catholic Church Precinct was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992 having satisfied the following criteria.The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history.This extensive precinct was established in the late 1850s as the central site of the Roman Catholic Church in Ipswich. Development of St Mary's Catholic Church Complex reflects the principal phases of development and growth in Ipswich, particularly during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.