Clare Valley. The Marian Shrine at Sevenhill winery, church and seminary complex with grape vines in front of it. This was converted from Weickerts smoke house to a shrine in the 1950s.
In 1848 a Silesian farmer, Franz Weckert gathered together a group of people interested in forming a new community free of religious persecution in South Australia. Weckert financed the voyage for many of the people and he obtained the services of a Father Kranewitter, a Jesuit brother and two others called Schriener and Sadler. They took up land at Sevenhill near Clare and called the local stream the Tiber (after the River in Rome) and the place, Sevenhill after the seven hills of Rome. Franz Weckert never recovered his money from the settlers and died a poor man at Sevenhill in 1875. The three Jesuits erected a building on their land and established the first Catholic seminary in Australia. Local Catholics contributed substantially to Jesuit funds after their return from the Victorian goldfields and the first church was finished in 1856. The current church was a later structure that was started in 1861. The Catholic Polish community of nearby Polish Hill River also contributed to the new church. It was officially opened in November 1866. A crypt was constructed underneath the church, for the burial of the Jesuit fathers.
Over the next few years the college was constructed, clearly with plans for further additions, which never occurred. The foundation stone for the college was laid in 1868 and the college was completed by 1871 when press advertising for students began. Among the early students were Peter and Donald MacKillop, brothers of Mary MacKillop. The college was officially opened in 1875. It catered for around 40 students a year until it closed in 1885. Apart from the college and church, the Jesuit brothers brought the wine industry to the Clare Valley. They established the first vineyard of the district in 1851 (about the same time as the first vines were planted in the Barossa and also at Langhorne Creek).
Clare Valley. The Marian Shrine at Sevenhill winery, church and seminary complex with grape vines in front of it. This was converted from Weickerts smoke house to a shrine in the 1950s.
In 1848 a Silesian farmer, Franz Weckert gathered together a group of people interested in forming a new community free of religious persecution in South Australia. Weckert financed the voyage for many of the people and he obtained the services of a Father Kranewitter, a Jesuit brother and two others called Schriener and Sadler. They took up land at Sevenhill near Clare and called the local stream the Tiber (after the River in Rome) and the place, Sevenhill after the seven hills of Rome. Franz Weckert never recovered his money from the settlers and died a poor man at Sevenhill in 1875. The three Jesuits erected a building on their land and established the first Catholic seminary in Australia. Local Catholics contributed substantially to Jesuit funds after their return from the Victorian goldfields and the first church was finished in 1856. The current church was a later structure that was started in 1861. The Catholic Polish community of nearby Polish Hill River also contributed to the new church. It was officially opened in November 1866. A crypt was constructed underneath the church, for the burial of the Jesuit fathers.
Over the next few years the college was constructed, clearly with plans for further additions, which never occurred. The foundation stone for the college was laid in 1868 and the college was completed by 1871 when press advertising for students began. Among the early students were Peter and Donald MacKillop, brothers of Mary MacKillop. The college was officially opened in 1875. It catered for around 40 students a year until it closed in 1885. Apart from the college and church, the Jesuit brothers brought the wine industry to the Clare Valley. They established the first vineyard of the district in 1851 (about the same time as the first vines were planted in the Barossa and also at Langhorne Creek).