June 29th, 2020Our history: The Convent Gallery
THE Central Highlands region boasts all manner of historic buildings and they are some of the principal attractions for visitors. Journalist Tony Sawrey is writing a series on a number of them, starting with the building now known as the Convent Gallery in Daylesford.
Looking north over the town centre the Convent Gallery has received thousands of visitors since its refurbishment and opening to the public in 1991.
As of 2020 the site has been occupied for 158 years. A house was first built on the slopes of Wombat Hill in 1862 for James Daly, the gold warden and magistrate at the time.
It passed through a number of hands over the next 20 years with all the excesses of classic Victorian architecture incorporated into its numerous renovations and extensions. However by 1882 it lay vacant before being occupied by local priests as a presbytery.
In 1891 Archbishop Carr of Melbourne envisioned a “source of light and edification” for the Daylesford community. He decreed that the house should be renovated (yet again) to prepare it for use as a convent and boarding school. A further building was added and St Michaels Primary School moved to the site as well. It was then opened as The Holy Cross Convent and Boarding School for Girls and the relocated school commenced classes with 27 students.
For the next 75 years the Convent operated in this manner with further renovations and additions to a sprawling complex of dormitories, dining rooms, classrooms and chapel. By 1966, St Michaels was moved across the road and a new secondary school was built. However, in 1973 Holy Cross Secondary School was closed due to lack of numbers and by 1974 the building had been appropriated as a community education centre. The remaining four nuns moved to a new convent next to St Peter’s Church in Duke Street.
By the 1980s the site, like much of the town, was in serious decline, the gardens were rough and the building needed some serious TLC. It was put on the market in 1988 and bought by Tina Banitska who still has it today.
Working with local heritage architect, Vladimir Chernov she restored the building to its former glory, retaining its religious and historical significance. Today the complex consists of seven individual gallery spaces over four levels, exhibiting the works of both local and national artists. Open to all, it is one of the most popular destinations for visitors to the region.
“The Convent is a rich and beautiful tapestry of history and art,” says Tina, “and I’ve been given the privilege of looking after this building, to make it a place for the community. I don’t own anything, I’m just the custodian of it.”
Above, Holy Cross Daylesford mid-C20th
(Rose Stereograph Co, courtesy of the State Library of Victoria),
