Saint Sophia Cathedral

The first Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (Ayia Trias) was established in Surry Hills in 1898.

The faith of the early Greek settlers in Australia came largely under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem followed by the Church of Greece. However, due to a change in spiritual leadership within the community in 1924 with the arrival of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, tensions began developing within the Greek Australian Orthodox community. Divisions began to form between those supportive of change and those against and quickly the social and political schism within the community grew.

In 1924, as the schism reached its defining point, the Patriarchate established the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Australia and New Zealand and began leading religious services away from Sydney's centre for the Greek Orthodox faith at Ayia Triada, Surry Hills (Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church).

The new metropolis looked to establish its own centre and fundraising began for the erection of a new church, the Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral (Ayia Sofia) in South Dowling Street, Paddington. Purchased from the Jewish community, the cathedral was built in 1927, opened for worship later that year and consecrated in 1928.

The Cathedral was purpose-built and named after the Byzantine Saint Sophia or Holy Wisdom Church in Istanbul. The Greek Orthodox Community NSW, established in 1898, presided at the consecration of Saint Sophia Cathedral in 1928.

The great schism of Greek Orthodoxy in NSW continued for many years despite significant efforts to reconcile the opposing factions. After a prolonged period of co-existence, however, the two churches were finally reconciled into the one Community, the Greek Orthodox Community of Sydney and NSW, in April 1945.