St James Old Cathedral, an Anglican church, is the oldest church in Melbourne, Australia. It is one of only three buildings in the central city which predate the Victorian gold rush of 1851. The church's foundation stone was laid on 9 November 1839 by Charles La Trobe, the superintendent of the Port Phillip District (now the state of Victoria), in what was then still part of New South Wales. Melbourne was then only four years old and the church was one of the first substantial brick buildings to be built in the town. The church was designed by the town surveyor, Robert Russell, and built by George Beaver. One of the founders of Melbourne, John Batman, was among the subscribers who paid for the church's construction.