The Invention of Melbourne defines the relationship between an architect of genius, William Wardell, and the first Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, James Goold, an Irishman educated in Risorgimento, Italy. Their partnership produced St Patrick's, the largest cathedral of the 19th century anywhere in the world, and some thirteen churches, decorated with hundreds of Baroque paintings. These ambitious policies coincided with the Gold Rush, which contributed financially to their success.The contribution made by Wardell and Goold to the built environment of Melbourne remains significant. Together, they actively and creatively shaped the city that became a major international metropolis.

Contents:
Part 1: the first Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne
I: Situating Goold: pastor and cultural patron / Max Vodola p. 15
II: Portraits of episcopal authority in colonial Australia / Rachel Naughton p. 31
III: Ursula Frayne and James Goold: an Irish cultural partnership in nineteenth-century Melbourne / Catherine Kovesi p. 47
IV: 'Sound taste and a love of the fine arts': Bishop Goold's experience of cultural patronage in the diocese of Sydney, 1838-1848 / Peter Cunich p. 67
V: A baroque Bishop in Catholicism's greater Ireland: the global context of Archbishop James Alipius Goold of Melbourne / Colin Barr p. 83

Part 2: Goold's late Baroque picture collection
VI: The pictorial presence of heavenly grace in the art of the renaissance and baroque / Klaus Kruger p. 97
VII: Collecting for conversion: Bishop Goold's passion for late baroque painting / Jaynie Anderson p. 127
VIII: 'The rich treasures of Bishop Goold': provenance, exhibition and reception / Callum Reid p. 147
IX: Piranesi, Guercino and Goold's fascination for the baroque / Angelo Lo Conte p. 165

Part 3: Goold's architectural patronage in Melbourne
X: William Wardell's formation in England / Ursula Maria de Jong p. 183
XI: Building the diocese: Bishop Goold's architectural patronage, 1848-1868 / Paola Colleoni p. 203
XII: The Gothic Bank, Melbourne: the design collaboration of William Wardell and Sir George Verdon / Peter Lovell p. 225
Part 4: Goold's private library and its public impact
XIII: Bibliomania in colonial Australia / Wallace Kirsop p. 247
XIV: Divining a purpose: the logic of Bishop Goold's library / Shane Carmody, Kerrie Burn, Nick Gellatly and Huw Sandaver p. 259

Includes bibliographic references (pages 276-305) and index.

Victorian Community History Award shortlist 2020