Monsignor Hawes Church

Perenjori is located at the southern gateway to the Monsignor Hawes Heritage Trail. The trail celebrates the enormous contribution architect-priest Monsignor John Hawes made to the region and highlights 15 buildings of his design and other sites significant to his life.

Monsignor Hawes’ buildings are among the greatest achievements in Western Australia’s architectural history and some consider him to be our leading designer of ecclesiastical buildings. The cultural significance of Monsignor Hawes work within Australia’s natural environment is intrinsically and uniquely connected.

In many respects Monsignor Hawes was a visionary for designing and building structures that matched their respective settings and were highly appropriate for the prevailing environmental conditions.

Monsignor Hawes continued his work when he was transferred from his Australian parishes and posted to the Bermudas and other countries and as a result, there is worldwide interest in the heritage trail, each church unique and with its own defining characteristics.