New Norcia, Western Australia

New Norcia Western Australia
The Abbey Church, which contains the tomb of Dom Rosendo Salvado.
New Norcia
Coordinates	30°57′11″S 116°11′28″E / 30.953°S 116.191°E / -30.953; 116.191Coordinates: 30°57′11″S 116°11′28″E / 30.953°S 116.191°E / -30.953; 116.191
Established	1847
Postcode(s)	6509
Location	132 km (82 mi) N of Perth 56 km (35 mi) SE of Moora
LGA(s)	Shire of Victoria Plains
State electorate(s)	Moore
Federal Division(s)	Durack

New Norcia /ˌnjuː ˈnɔrsiə/ is a town in Western Australia, 132 km (82 mi) north of Perth, along the Great Northern Highway. It is situated next to the banks of the Moore River, in the Shire of Victoria Plains.

New Norcia is the only monastic town in Australia. A ground station for the European Space Agency is located 8 km south of the town.^[1]

Establishment

On 1 March 1846, a Benedictine mission to the local aborigines was started about 8 km to the north, led by the two Spanish Benedictines, Rosendo Salvado and Joseph Serra. Within a year the mission was moved to where the town is today, and on 1 March 1847 the foundation stone of the monastery was laid. The place was named New Norcia, after Norcia in Italy, the birthplace of St Benedict. Unlike the Italian Norcia, which is pronounced "nor-chee-a", New Norcia is pronounced "new nor-sia".

Town

The town of New Norcia has buildings in a Spanish style of architecture, along with some other historical sites. Among these are the two old boarding schools, St Ildephonsus' and St Gertrude's (both now used for accommodation and various social functions), the Abbey Church (containing the tomb of Rosendo Salvado), an old mill, a wine press, a hotel, and the monastery itself.

The town has attracted interest and tourist visits for most of its existence, and as a consequence a number of guide books and histories have been produced^[2][3]

Tours of the town are operated daily by the Friends of New Norcia, who also organise the accommodation in the various buildings including the monastery retreat.^[4] The Benedictine monks continue to occupy the monastery and are involved with most of the enterprises in the town.

The last Spanish Benedictine monk of New Norcia died on 18 January 2010, aged 99. He continued to prepare the bread for the monks and olive oil almost upon his death..

Today New Norcia is increasingly well respected in Australian culinary circles for its quality bakery (built in 1886) offering breads, nutcake and biscotti.^[5] Also maintaining olive oil production and locally made wines, port and ale can be purchased at the community or from special outlets.^[6]

New Norcia Hotel

Originally known as the New Norcia Hostel,^[7] the New Norcia Hotel is an operating business in the community.^[8][9]

Monastery and buildings

The Monastery buildings are on the eastern side of the current highway alignment through the town.

Pipe organs

There are two pipe organs located within the monastery buildings. In the Abbey Church of the Holy Trinity is a large 35 rank German organ, built in 1922 by Albert Moser of Munich. The organ was designed in consultation with the abbey organist, Dom Moreno.^[10]

The second pipe organ, of 13 ranks and much more modern in style, is located in the Oratory Chapel. This organ was built in 1983 by Belsham Pipe Organs.^[11]

Colleges

There have been a range of colleges situated in the town, associated with the Monastery, they are situated on the west side of the current main road alignment which passes through the town.^[12]

St Gertrude's

St Gertrude's was completed in 1908.^[13]

St Ildephonsus

St Ildephonsus' was opened in 1913. It operated until 1964, St Ildephonsus' under the Marist Brothers order.^[14][15]

From 1965 onwards, it was run by the Benedictines as St Benedict's College. In 1972, St Benedict's and St Gertrude's became co-educational, with the boys and girls sharing most of their lessons.

Salvado College - New Norcia Catholic College

In 1974, the two colleges became known jointly as Salvado College, but were still referred to individually as St Benedict's and St Gertrude's. In 1986, Salvado College became New Norcia Catholic College, which closed at the end of 1991.

Orphanages

There were also two aboriginal orphanages ; St Mary's (for boys)^[16] and St Joseph's (for girls), which closed in the early 1970s. The two buildings still exist. St Mary's is next to St Ildephonsus', and St Joseph's is next to St Gertrude's.

Current usage

St Joseph's now houses the Museum and Art Gallery, which contains works by Australian and overseas artists, and displays describing the history of the area. In 1986, twenty six paintings were stolen by two robbers. Several weeks later, all but one of the stolen paintings were returned. They were badly damaged, but were eventually repaired.

Grounds and heritage trail

With decreasing numbers of active colleges, and changes in the organisation of the town, some buildings and sites have been retored and incorporated into a heritage trail within the town.^[17][18][19]

Abbots

^[20]

• Rosendo Salvado, 12 March 1867 - 29 December 1900, died as abbot, aged 86 years
• Fulgentius Torres, 1902 - 6 October 1914, died as abbot, aged 53 years^[21]
• Anselm Catalan, 1915 - 1951 (resigned),^[22] died 29 July 1959, aged 80 years
• Gregory Gomez,^[23] 1951 - 1971 (resigned), died 31 May 1995, aged 91 years
• Bernard Rooney, 31 March 1974 - 15 June 1980 (resigned)
• Placid Spearritt, 29 January 1997 - 4 October 2008, died as abbot, aged 75 years^[24]
• John Herbert, 23 January 2009 to present

From 1983 until 1997, the Territorial Abbey had been suppressed into the Archdiocese of Perth and Spearritt worked as an administrator.

See also

• New Norcia Cricket Team
• New Norcia Station

Books about New Norcia

• Beckett, T (1966), New Norcia : its history and development, 1846-1966, retrieved 27 November 2014 
• Monachus; Benedictine Abbey of New Norcia, Western Australia (1946), New Norcia : historical guide to all its institutions, Benedictine Abbey, retrieved 27 November 2014 
• Flood, James Rev (1908), New Norcia : the remarkable Aborigines institution of the Australian Commonwealth situated in the state of Western Australia ; a monument of Benedictine courage, patience and charity, Burns & Oates, retrieved 27 November 2014 
• Salvado, Rosendo; Stormon, Edward James, 1912-; New Norcia Benedictine Mission; Salvado, Rosendo; Storman, Edward James (1977), The Salvado memoirs : historical memoirs of Australia and particularly of the Benedictine mission of New Norcia and of the habits and customs of the Australian natives, University of Western Australia Press, ISBN 978-0-85564-114-6 
• Lennon, Stephen; Benedictine Abbey of New Norcia, Western Australia (1991), The Story of New Norcia : the Western Australian Benedictine mission (7th ed ed.), Benedictine Community of New Norcia, ISBN 978-0-646-06140-5 
• Hutchison, D. E. (David Eric), 1927-; Hutchison, David (1995), A town like no other : the living tradition of New Norcia, Fremantle Arts Centre Press, ISBN 978-1-86368-132-2 
• Smith, John H., (compiler.); Benedictine Abbey of New Norcia, Western Australia (issuing body.) (2014), Rosendo Salvado, commemorating 200 years : 1814-2014, New Norcia, Western Australia Benedictine Community of New Norcia, retrieved 27 November 2014 

References

Sources and External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to New Norcia, Western Australia.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for New Norcia.

• New Norcia, Australia's only monastic town
• Text from the Old Catholic Encyclopedia
• Wikipedia article on the Old Catholic Encyclopedia
• Obituary of Abbot Placid Spearritt (also )
• The Organ Society of Western Australia
• ESA New Norcia deep space tracking station

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