St John the Baptist Church, Reid

St John the Baptist Church is an Australian Anglican church in the Canberra suburb of Reid in the Australian Capital Territory. It is the oldest surviving public building within Canberra's inner city and the oldest church in the Australian Capital Territory, dating back to 1845, and contains several medieval stones, including a 12th-century stone from Canterbury Cathedral and a 13th-century stone from Westminster Abbey. The church is located at the corner of Anzac Parade and Constitution Avenue, adjacent to the Parliamentary Triangle. St John's has been variously described as a "spiritual and social centre", a "sanctuary in the city" and "the Westminster Abbey of Australia". Overlooking Lake Burley Griffin today, it has remained a small English village-style church even as Australia's capital grew around it. Over time, it became a focal point for Australia's governors-general, politicians, public servants and military leaders, and has hosted royalty on numerous occasions. The church remains an active place of worship and a Canberra landmark, although it has now been surrounded by offices and residential buildings. The bells of St John's, cast from the same foundry as the National Carillon, are audible from Lake Burley Griffin. St John's Care, a local charity, emergency relief and community organisation affiliated with Anglicare, is based in the church precinct, as is the pari

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