ChristChurch Cathedral facts for kids
Quick facts for kids ChristChurch Cathedral |
|
|---|---|
ChristChurch, Cathedral Square, in 2006
|
|
| 43°31′52″S 172°38′13″E / 43.531°S 172.637°E | |
| Location | Christchurch Central City |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | christchurchcathedral.co.nz |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Category I |
| Designated | 7 April 1983 |
| Architect(s) | George Gilbert Scott Benjamin Mountfort |
| Architectural type | Gothic Revival style |
ChristChurch Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was built between 1864 and 1904 in the heart of the city, in Cathedral Square. It was the main church for the Bishop of Christchurch.
Sadly, earthquakes have damaged the building many times, especially its tall spire. Major quakes hit in 1881, 1888, 1901, 1922, and 2010. The big 2011 Christchurch earthquake caused the most damage. It completely destroyed the spire and the top part of the tower. The rest of the building was also badly hurt.
After the 2011 earthquake, parts of the tower were taken down to help with rescue efforts. The rest of the tower was removed in 2012. The west wall, which had a beautiful round window, also collapsed. The Anglican Church first decided to take down the whole building and build a new one. However, many groups wanted to save the old cathedral. After a long debate and court cases, the church decided in 2017 to rebuild and restore the original cathedral. Work on this project began in 2019.
Since 2013, the church community has been using a temporary church called the Cardboard Cathedral.
Contents
History of the Cathedral
The idea for ChristChurch Cathedral came from the Canterbury Association. This group planned to create a city in New Zealand with a main cathedral and a college, much like Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford in England. In the first map of Christchurch in 1850, the college and cathedral were planned for Cathedral Square.
Henry Harper, the first Bishop of Christchurch, arrived in 1856. He pushed for the cathedral project to start. Most Christian churches face east, so Harper wanted the cathedral to be built on the eastern side of Cathedral Square. This way, the main entrance would face Colombo Street, and people would pray towards the east.
In 1858, the church chose George Gilbert Scott to design the cathedral. He was a famous British architect known for his Gothic Revival buildings. Scott never visited Christchurch. Instead, he sent his plans, and Robert Speechly oversaw the building work.
Scott's first design was for a timber (wood) church. But Bishop Harper wanted it built from stone. So, Scott changed his plans to include a stone outside with a timber frame inside. Later, because there wasn't much timber in Canterbury, Scott sent new plans for an all-stone church. These plans arrived in New Zealand in 1864.
.jpg)
The first stone was laid on 16 December 1864. But construction stopped in late 1865 because the young city didn't have enough money. Christchurch was very small back then, with only about 450 men. It was hard to raise enough funds.
In 1873, a new architect, Benjamin Mountfort from New Zealand, took over. He changed Scott's design, adding balconies to the tower, a west porch, and other decorations like the font and pulpit. The roof supports were made from strong local timber.
The main part of the church, called the nave (which is 100 feet long), and the tower were officially opened on 1 November 1881. When Mountfort passed away in 1898, his son, Cyril Mountfort, finished the rest of the church, including the chancel and transepts, by 1904.
The Rhodes family, an important early family in Canterbury, paid for the tower and spire. The spire reached 63 meters (about 207 feet) high and offered great views of the city. The tower originally had ten bells, which were replaced with 13 new ones in 1978.
In 1894, Elizabeth Watts-Russell paid for the western porch to be built in memory of her husband. The cathedral also had major repairs in 2006 and 2007, including replacing the roof tiles.
Earthquake Damage Over Time
The Canterbury region often has earthquakes, and the cathedral has been damaged many times.
- 1881: A stone fell from the spire soon after the cathedral opened.
- 1888: About 8 meters (26 feet) of stone fell from the top of the spire. It was replaced.
- 1901: The top of the spire fell again. This time, it was replaced with a stronger structure made of wood and copper, with a special weight inside to help it handle shaking.
- 1922: One of the stone crosses fell.
- 2010: The 4 September earthquake caused some minor damage, and the cathedral was closed for checks. More damage happened on 26 December.
- 2011 February
The 6.3-magnitude earthquake on 22 February 2011 caused huge damage. The spire was completely destroyed, and only the bottom half of the tower was left. The main walls and roof stayed mostly in place, but the front gable was damaged, and part of the roof collapsed from falling debris. Experts thought that the pillars supporting the building were badly damaged.
- 2011 June
The cathedral was damaged even more on 13 June 2011 by another 6.4-magnitude earthquake. The beautiful round window in the west wall fell out. This made people wonder if the cathedral should be taken down.
- 2011 December
More damage happened on 23 December from a series of earthquakes. The largest was 6.0 magnitude, and during this time, what was left of the round window finally collapsed.
Inside the Cathedral
The high altar's screen was made from kauri wood from an old bridge. It has six carved figures of important historical people.
The pulpit, designed by Mountfort, remembers George Selwyn, the first Bishop of New Zealand. Mountfort also designed the font, which was given by Arthur Penrhyn Stanley in memory of his brother, Captain Owen Stanley.
The cathedral has the special chair for Bishop Harper, who laid the first stone in 1864. In the west porch, you can find stones from other famous places like Canterbury Cathedral and St Paul's Cathedral in London.
The north wall has a beautiful pattern of marble and tiles. A special window above it remembers Sir Thomas Tancred.
The Chapel of St Michael and St George was opened in 1949 and is dedicated to Archbishop Campbell West-Watson.
A Protected Building
On 7 April 1983, the cathedral was listed as a Category I historic place by Heritage New Zealand. This means it's a very important historical building. It's the only church in New Zealand designed by George Gilbert Scott, and Benjamin Mountfort also had a big impact on its look.
The cathedral is a major landmark and a popular place for visitors. For many, it represents the dreams of the early settlers. Inside, there are many memorial plaques and windows that tell stories of the people and history of the region. For example, a tablet in the western porch lists the 84 members of the Canterbury Association.
Plans for Demolition and Rebuilding
,_July_2012.jpg)
After the 2011 earthquakes, on 28 October 2011, it was announced that the cathedral would be officially "deconsecrated" (meaning it was no longer a holy place) and at least partly taken down. ChristChurch Cathedral was deconsecrated on 9 November 2011.
On 2 March 2012, Bishop Victoria Matthews said the building would be demolished. She was worried about its safety and said rebuilding it might cost NZ$50 million more than the insurance would cover. She wanted a new cathedral to be built instead. Many local churches supported this decision.
In September 2012, Bishop Matthews even suggested sharing a new church with the Roman Catholic community, as their church was also damaged. But the Roman Catholic diocese wasn't interested.
People Who Wanted to Save It
Many groups and people were against demolishing the cathedral. Heritage groups, including UNESCO World Heritage Centre, spoke out against it. Even the famous Wizard of New Zealand protested to save the cathedral.
Kit Miyamoto, an expert engineer from America, said that fixing and strengthening the building was "possible and affordable."
In April 2012, a group of engineers started a petition to stop the demolition. They even said they might take legal action. Around the same time, the Restore Christchurch Cathedral Group was formed and also collected signatures to save the building.
What Happened Next
In late March 2012, work began to remove the windows and take down the tower. By April 2012, the stained glass from nine windows had been removed.
On 15 November 2012, a court stopped further demolition. The court said the church had to officially promise to rebuild a cathedral in Cathedral Square, but it didn't have to look exactly like the old one.
In December 2013, the highest court in New Zealand said that the church could demolish the building. However, demolition didn't start again because there was still another court case. In July 2015, the government expressed concern that the lack of progress was slowing down the city's recovery.
In September 2017, the church's main group, the diocesan synod, voted to rebuild the ChristChurch Cathedral. Bishop Matthews estimated the project would take about 10 years to finish.
Rebuilding the Cathedral
.jpg)
On 22 August 2018, an agreement was signed to create a company called Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Limited. Their job is to fix, restore, and make the cathedral stronger against earthquakes. This involves removing inner walls to replace old rubble with strong steel or concrete. They will also add a special system called Base isolation to help the building move safely during quakes.
In 2017, the cost to rebuild was thought to be NZ$104 million. By October 2020, the plans were released, and the cost had gone up to NZ$154 million.
The new plans include a museum and visitor center with a cafe on the north side. There will also be an office building and parish hall on the south side. The Citizens' War Memorial will be moved to a new spot. In 2024, the cost was re-estimated at $248 million after new discoveries about the foundations. The project was then adjusted to reduce costs and risks.
Temporary Cathedral
Building a temporary church, called the Cardboard Cathedral, started on 24 July 2012. It's located a few blocks away from the main cathedral site. Designed by architect Shigeru Ban, it can seat about 700 people. It was officially opened on 15 August 2013. This unique church is built using materials like cardboard tubes, timber, and steel.
Deans of the Cathedral
| Time Period | Dean | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1866–1901 | Henry Jacobs | Died in office in 1901 |
| 1901–1913 | Walter Harper | |
| 1913–1927 | Charles Walter Carrington | |
| 1927–1940 | John Awdry Julius | |
| 1940–1951 | Alwyn Warren | Became Bishop of Christchurch in 1951 |
| 1951–1961 | Martin Sullivan | Later became Dean of St Paul's Cathedral in London |
| 1962–1966 | Allan Pyatt | Became Bishop of Christchurch in 1966 |
| 1966–1982 | Michael Leeke Underhill | |
| 1982–1984 | Maurice Goodall | Became Bishop of Christchurch in 1984 |
| 1984–1990 | David Coles | Became Bishop of Christchurch in 1990 |
| 1990–2002 | John Bluck | Became Bishop of Waiapu in 2002 |
| 2002–2011 | Peter Beck | |
| For later deans, see Cardboard Cathedral | ||
In late 2011, Dean Peter Beck left his job. He disagreed with Bishop Matthews about what should happen to the cathedral. He was followed by Lynda Patterson, who became the first woman to be dean on 1 November 2013. Since the main cathedral was closed, she worked at the Cardboard Cathedral. Sadly, Patterson passed away in 2014.
Images for kids
-
ChristChurch, Cathedral Square, in 2006
-
ChristChurch Cathedral logo
See also
In Spanish: Catedral de Christchurch para niños
