Our Lady of Victories Catholic Church is sited near the apex of Bowen Hill, overlooking the
Brisbane River. It is on a large site incorporating a presbytery to the east and a school and scout hall to the west. The church addresses both Roche and Boyd Streets. The building is essentially rectangular in plan, running east–west, with shallow
transepts toward the western end of the north and south
facades. Semi-octagonal recesses are found as small entrance vestibules on the transept ends, as the sanctuary and vestry of the church, as altar recesses in the side chapels flanking the principal altar and in a
baptistry toward the eastern end of the southern facade. The burnt-orange terracotta-tiled roof is generally gabled with hips to the polygonal projections. The building is constructed from re-inforced concrete the exterior is rendered with textured stucco, except to mouldings which are smoothly rendered. Dominating the building visually is a large square planned tower abutting the eastern end of the northern facade. The tower, which extends for has long narrow rectangular openings on its shaft and shallow
balcony-like sections of concreted balustrading supported on decorative moulded
corbels. These balconies are found on each of the four sides and are accessible by door openings on the top level of the tower. Heavy mouldings define the upper limits of the tower above which is a bell shaped
cupola roof clad with copper sheeting and surmounted by an illuminated Latin cross. The principal eastern facade faces the Brisbane River, looking toward the bend where the
Bulimba and Hamilton Reaches converge. The elevation is symmetrically composed and defined by a decorative parapeted gabled, where a moulded capping follows the curves and notches of a
Cape Dutch gable outline. Featured on the elevation are several groups of round headed arched openings; a
porch/
loggia is formed by a recess separated from a wide concrete stairway by an
arcade of three arched openings supported on large cast iron
columns; centrally located on the facade above this is a doubled arched opening with a lightly framed
Juliet balcony flanked by groups of three arched window openings. Centrally placed near the apex of the parapet is a large diamond mullioned "rose" window. Surmounting the apex of the gable is a masonry Latin cross. The north and south facades have five evenly spaced round headed arched openings separated by shallow smoothly rendered
pilasters. The windows are composed from two strips of four top-hinged hoppers filled with diamond mullioned glass, above which is placed a semi circular window glazed with a leadlight panel depicting a rising sun. The transepts of the church, on the north and south facades feature similar, but smaller, versions of the eastern parapeted gable. Doorways are formed in the semi-octagonal recesses centrally located on the transepts. Long round-headed arched openings are found on the octagonal projection and flanking this, on the face of the transept end. The western facade has two parapeted gable walls, one slightly smaller in front of a larger version, defining the chancel space. The smaller gabled wall is abutted by a single storeyed semi-octagonal projection housing the vestry. The porch on the eastern facade houses a recessed porch and the walls of the porch have been smooth rendered and scribed with
ashlar stonework joints. The double entrance door of timber is surmounted by a semi-circular fan light of leadlight depicting the rising sun and cross. Internally, the church does not reflect the Spanish mission dictum influencing the design of the exterior. The interior has a concrete floor with sections of ceramic tile and carpeting added more recently, the internal walls are plaster rendered. The ceiling, which is diagonally timber boarded in alternating sections, rakes downward on the long sides of the building. The internal layout is very simple, with timber pews facing toward an altar area comprising a low marble platform on which a marble altar table. Behind this in the chancel with a marble high altar. The shallow chancel is side lit by long round-headed arched windows, and separated from the body of the church by a large round headed arched opening and smaller double arched openings separating the transepts. To the north and south of the entrance doors are two small rooms, the southern one a former baptistery and to the north the base of the tower. Inside the tower is a steep open tread timber stair which leads to a top floor where four door openings give access to shallow balconies. The timber stair also gives access to a gallery, supported on cast iron columns, which lines the eastern, rear face of the interior of the Church. Provision is given off the gallery for access to the small Juliet balcony on the eastern facade of the building. The arched window openings which line the north and south walls of the church are housed in arched recesses, in the
spandrels of which sit the corbelled supports of the timber ceiling joists. The windows are glazed with diamond mullioned glass in varying shades of blue and green forming geometric patterns. Notable fittings in the church include the marble high altar, confessional boxes, stations of the cross, a shrine to Our Lady of Czestochowa and statues in the side altar recesses. The high altar is of white marble with green marble detailing and is centrally placed within the chancel below a
"rose" window glazed with coloured glass depicting a crown and cross within a circle surmounted by a fleur-di-lis. Two timber
confessional boxes are found at the rear of the church. These are separated into three small rooms with a small perforated timber panel with sliding closing panel in the two internal connecting walls. The timber framed stations of the cross are surmounted by a broken pedimented
entablature similar to those which surmount the two confessional boxes. == Heritage listing ==