Good Shepherd Chapel

In 1863, four Good Shepherd Sisters sailed from France to Melbourne to provide support and safe housing for women and girls experiencing hardship and exclusion.

The Sisters found a suitable site in Abbotsford to build a self-sufficient community, where they could provide shelter, education and spiritual support for young girls and women. The Abbotsford Convent was officially opened on 25 August 1863 and the Good Shepherd community began to grow.

Originally known as the Church of the Immaculate Conception, the Chapel was designed by Mr Thomas A Kelly, modelled on the mother house of the Good Shepherd Sisters in Angers, France. The foundation stone was laid in 1870 and the building was officially opened on 30 April 1871. It is the second oldest building in the Abbotsford Convent precinct. Among convent chapels, it is distinguished by its age, free standing design and bluestone construction.
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