Tomb of Pere le Receveur

Item details


Name of item:	Tomb of Pere le Receveur
Type of item:	Complex / Group
Group/Collection:	Cemeteries and Burial Sites
Category:	Mausoleum/Tomb/Funeral Vault/Ossario
Primary address:	1540 Anzac Parade, La Perouse, NSW 2036
Local govt. area:	Randwick

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
1540 Anzac Parade	La Perouse	Randwick			Primary Address

Statement of significance:


	The Pere Le Receveur Tomb is an item of State cultural heritage significance value as a symbol of the association with the La Perouse expedition and the Roman Catholic Church in Australia. Pere Le Receveur, a Franciscan monk and naturalist on the La Perouse expedition died and was buried at La Perouse in 1788. He is credited with performing the first Roman Catholic mass in Australia. The tomb constructed in 1828 is a monument that was prompted by Bougainville and the tradition of pilgrimage to the La Perouse headland by visiting French national and by the local French community that was already strong by the early 1800s. it is the first European grave in the region and is associated with the colourful and tragic history of the la Perouse expedition. The grave itself is unexceptional.
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description

Physical description:

The Tomb of Pere Le Receveur consists of a painted stone tomb structure surrounded by two rectilinear wall enclosures. The Tomb has a pebble bed immediately around the structure, contained by a low concrete wall. Beyond a band of lawn, the Tomb is further enclosed by another concrete wall which supports a metal fence approximately 1m. high. A brass cross is located at the head of the Tomb and is a replacement of an earlier iron cross.

History

Historical notes:

26 January 1788- La Perouse arrives in Botany Bay with this ships the Astrolabe and the Boussole. 17 February 1788- Pere Receveur dies at Botany Bay. 11 March 1788- La Perouse leaves Botany Bay. By 1819 (possibly even from 1802), French visitors to Sydney begin the visit the site of La Perouse's stay and the grave of Pere Receveur. De Bougainville visits sites of Pere Receveur's grave and Laperouse stockade and proposes to erect and finance permanent memorials to both Receveur and La Perouse. Fencing works were carried out in 1867 and 1876. In 1906 the French government provides money for restoration works to both the monument and the tomb. 1933 pilgrimage to the site attracted 3000 people while a 1938 pilgrimage attracted 9000 people.

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Local Environmental Plan	Randwick Local Environmental Plan 1998 - Sch3	301	26 Jun 98	97	5020
Local Environmental Plan	Randwick Local Environmental Plan 2012	I167	15 Feb 13

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Electronic	Jill Sheppard Heritage Consultants	2008	La Perouse Headland Botany Bay National Park Conservation Management Plan- Draft Report

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

(Click on thumbnail for full size image and image details)

Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Local Government
Database number:	2310300

Every effort has been made to ensure that information contained in the State Heritage Inventory is correct. If you find any errors or omissions please send your comments to the Database Manager.

All information and pictures on this page are the copyright of Heritage NSW or respective copyright owners.