The doors form an internal glazed screen in front of the existing Great Door providing a more welcoming sense of entry into St Paul’s and improving access to the Cathedral and its interface with Federation Square.  With their installation, the external wooden doors will remain open during the day, and problems of weather-proofing, noise and pollution eliminated.

The brief, earlier outlined by the Dean and Chapter, sought an answer to the long unsolved problem of keeping the wooden doors open and posed a unique opportunity to create a visually lightweight, transparent structure, ‘contemporary in design but with respect and appropriate ambience, reflecting Butterfield’s gothic revival architecture.’  Three artists were selected to produce designs for consideration.

The work of Janusz Kuzbicki, pictured left, was chosen for this truly exciting project.  Taking the suggestion of the brief that the panels might tell the story of St Paul, Janusz chose to symbolise the moment in time when Paul is blinded by light on the Road to Damascus as the centre of his design.  Around the glorious light of Paul’s conversion, the artist used the traditional iconographic symbols of the four Gospel writers.  The Lion (St Mark), the Eagle (St John), the Ox (St Luke) and the man (Matthew); images drawn from the vision of Ezekiel.

The construction and installation were made possible by a most generous donation from The Sidney Myer Fund and individual members of the Myer family.

The doors are constructed of 25mm cast glass, in the French ‘dalle de verre’ method set into a steel frame.  Most of the glass was imported from France.   The eight panels are conducive to beautifully filtered light and have a pleasing affinity with the marvellous ‘west window’ above it.  The rich hues of the panels employ the power of the primary colours.  As Gerard Vaughan of the National Gallery of Victoria says, “Kuzbicki’s work picks up the spirit of Butterfield and what he stands for; colour, polychromy, encrusted surfaces.  The new doors pick up “the spirit of the walls and the existing stained glass windows.”  Mr Vaughan admired their “rich, heraldic feel” and stated “they look very beautiful, both from within and looking in from the outside.”