St Luke's Church, Christchurch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Luke's Church |
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St Luke's Church three days after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake
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| 43°31′34″S 172°38′24″E / 43.5261°S 172.6401°E | |
| Location | Corner of Kilmore and Manchester Streets, Christchurch |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Previous denomination | Anglican |
| History | |
| Status | Church (former) |
| Founded | 3 September 1908 |
| Founder(s) | Bishop Churchill Julius |
| Consecrated | 17 October 1909 |
| Events | 2011 Christchurch earthquake |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Demolished |
| Heritage designation | Category II |
| Architect(s) | Cyril Mountfort |
| Architectural type | Church (former) |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Construction cost | NZ£9,800 |
| Closed | February 2011 |
| Demolished | July 2011 |
St Luke's Church was a special Anglican church in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was built on one of the first five spots chosen for churches in the city center. This building was so important that it was listed as a Category II historic place by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. Sadly, the church was badly damaged by the 2011 Christchurch earthquake in February 2011. Because of the damage, the building had to be taken down in July 2011.
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History of St Luke's Church
The land where St Luke's Church stood was chosen a long time ago. In 1850, the Canterbury Association picked five spots in Christchurch for Anglican churches. One of these spots was where St Luke's would later be built.
First Church on the Site
Before St Luke's, a church called the Chapel of Ease was built on this same spot. It was constructed between 1858 and 1860. This was the second Anglican church ever built in Christchurch, after St Michael and All Angels. People at the time thought the Chapel of Ease looked "ugly and barn-like". It faced Peterborough Street and was made bigger in 1871. The Chapel of Ease was eventually taken down in 1908.
Building the New St Luke's
The new St Luke's Church was designed by Cyril Mountfort. He was the son of a famous architect named Benjamin Mountfort. Cyril designed St Luke's in the Gothic Revival style. This style looks like old medieval churches.
St Luke's looked similar to two other churches designed by Cyril's father in the 1880s. These were The Church of the Good Shepherd in Phillipstown (which was also taken down in 2011) and St John's Cathedral in Napier (destroyed in the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake).
The first stone for St Luke's Church was laid by Bishop Julius on September 3, 1908. This is called the foundation stone.
Construction and Opening
Building the church took about 13 months to finish. The cost to build it was NZ£9,800, which was a lot of money back then.
The church was officially opened and blessed on October 17, 1909. Bishop Julius performed the blessing, and Archdeacon Averill gave the sermon.
Stamps and the Church
In 1995, New Zealand Post released a series of Christmas stamps. Four of the stamps, the ones with higher values, showed pictures from the beautiful stained glass windows of St Luke's Church.
Earthquake Damage and Demolition
In February 2011, a big 2011 Christchurch earthquake hit Christchurch. St Luke's Church was badly damaged by the shaking. After the earthquake, the church was "deconsecrated," which means it was no longer used as a holy place. It was then taken down in July 2011.
You can see the church in a video about the earthquakes called When A City Falls by Gerard Smyth.
Life After the Earthquake
Even though the church building is gone, the people who used to go to St Luke's are still meeting. They continue to offer help and support to the community. Services are currently held in other places, like the Mary Potter Community Centre and Knox Presbyterian Church. Morning prayers are still held on the original St Luke's site during the week. It is not yet known if a new church building will be built on the site.
Historic Place Status
St Luke's Church was recognized as an important historic building. The New Zealand Historic Places Trust listed it as a Category II heritage building. Its special registration number was 3353.
The house next to the church, called the St Luke's Vicarage, is also very old and important. It was listed as a Category I heritage building in 1990. This house is still standing and is being fixed up to be a home again.
