John Hawes (Monsignor)
Encyclopedia
Monsignor
John Hawes (7 September 1876, Richmond, England – 26 June 1956, Miami, Florida
) was an architect
and priest
.
priest, after which he worked in The Bahamas
. He later converted to Roman Catholicism and was ordained a Catholic priest in Rome on 27 February 1915, after which he was sent to Geraldton
, Western Australia
where he worked as a both a priest and an architect. In May 1939, Hawes sailed from Fremantle
to The Bahamas, officially on a pilgrimage. Living in The Bahamas as a hermit, he died on 26 June 1956 in Miami, Florida
, aged 79 and at his own request was buried in a cave located beneath his hermitage on Cat Island
.
The Monsignor Hawes Heritage Trail is a tourist route which visits many of these buildings, some of which he also built.
He also designed the Anglican Church of S. Christopher, in Gunnerton a small village in the North Tyne valley, Northumberland. The building has recently been restored and now boasts a fine stained glass window by William Tillyer
in the west end.
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
John Hawes (7 September 1876, Richmond, England – 26 June 1956, Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
) was an architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
.
Biography
He began training as an architect in London in 1892. In 1903 he was ordained an AnglicanAnglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
priest, after which he worked in The Bahamas
The Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
. He later converted to Roman Catholicism and was ordained a Catholic priest in Rome on 27 February 1915, after which he was sent to Geraldton
Geraldton, Western Australia
Geraldton is a city and port in Western Australia located north of Perth in the Mid West region. Geraldton has an estimated population at June 2010 of 36,958...
, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
where he worked as a both a priest and an architect. In May 1939, Hawes sailed from Fremantle
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
to The Bahamas, officially on a pilgrimage. Living in The Bahamas as a hermit, he died on 26 June 1956 in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, aged 79 and at his own request was buried in a cave located beneath his hermitage on Cat Island
Cat Island (Bahamas)
Cat Island is in the central Bahamas, and one of its districts, and has the nation's highest point. Its Mount Alvernia rises to 206 ft and is topped by a monastery called The Hermitage. This assembly of buildings was erected by the Franciscan "Brother Jerome" .The first European settlers were...
.
Architecture Work
Monsignor Hawes' architectural work in the Mid West region of Western Australia is renowned. He was appointed Diocesan Architect and designed:- The Cathedral of St Francis Xavier, a Spanish Mission style cathedral in Geraldton. The completed building was officially opened in 1938
- Nazareth House in Geraldton
- The Cemetery Chapel of the Holy Spirit in Geraldton
- The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and adjoining priest house in MullewaMullewa, Western Australia- External links :* *...
- Churches for many agricultural towns in the region; including MorawaMorawa, Western AustraliaMorawa is a town in the Mid West region of Western Australia. It is located within the Shire of Morawa, approximately 370 kilometres north of the state capital Perth, on the railway line between Wongan Hills and Mullewa.- History :...
, PerenjoriPerenjori, Western AustraliaPerenjori is a townsite in the northern agricultural region, 348 km north of Perth and 39 km south-east of Morawa. It is located on the Wongan Hills to Mullewa railway line which was opened in 1915. Perenjori was approved as the name of a siding in April 1913, and later that year the...
, YalgooYalgoo, Western Australia-Further reading:* Palmer, Alex. Yalgoo Fremantle, W.A: Lap Industries. ISBN 0959058400- See also :* Yalgoo - the ecological region* Thundelarra* Shire of Yalgoo - the local government region...
and NorthamptonNorthampton, Western AustraliaNorthampton is a town north of Geraldton, in the Mid West region of Western Australia. At the 2006 census, the town had a population of 813. It is historic, with an outstanding National Trust building. The town lies on the North West Coastal Highway. Formerly named Gwalla after the location's... - Only two private residences were designed - one being the homestead for Melangata Station north of Yalgoo, the other could be the White Tower in Bognor Regis, UK, built as a holiday residence for him and his brothers with a single bedroom on each floor and a parlour.
The Monsignor Hawes Heritage Trail is a tourist route which visits many of these buildings, some of which he also built.
He also designed the Anglican Church of S. Christopher, in Gunnerton a small village in the North Tyne valley, Northumberland. The building has recently been restored and now boasts a fine stained glass window by William Tillyer
William Tillyer
William Tillyer is an English artist. His work has been shown frequently in London and New York since 1970.He studied art in his home town from 1956-9, moving south to London in the 1960s to study at the Slade School of Art. It was there where he encountered William Coldstream and Anthony Gross,...
in the west end.
Further reading
- Evans, A. G. The conscious stone : a biography of John C. Hawes Melbourne : Polding Press, 1984. ISBN 0-85884-376-5 (pbk.)
- Taylor, John Between devotion and design : the architecture of John Cyril Hawes 1876-1956 Nedlands, W.A. : University of Western Australia Press, 2000. ISBN 1-876268-16-6
- Peter Anson The Hermit of Cat Island London: Burnes & Oates, 1958.