St Mary's Cathedral, Auckland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary's Cathedral Church |
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St Mary's as seen from the north
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| 36°51′36″S 174°47′00″E / 36.8601°S 174.7833°E | |
| Location | Parnell, Auckland |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| History | |
| Status | |
| Founded | 1886 |
| Consecrated |
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| Events | Relocated to site adjacent to Holy Trinity Cathedral in 1982 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architect(s) | Benjamin Mountfort |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Completed | 1898 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 50 metres (160 ft) |
| Floor area | 840.0 square metres (9,042 sq ft) |
| Materials | Timber |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Auckland |
| Province | Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia |
St Mary's Cathedral Church, also known as St Mary's Church, is an Anglican church in Parnell, a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It used to be the main church for the Anglican Church in Auckland. In 1973, a new church, Holy Trinity Cathedral, became the main church.
This church is made of wood and built in the Gothic Revival style. A famous architect named Benjamin Mountfort designed it. The church was finished in 1897. It took the place of an older church called Old St Mary's. In 1982, St Mary's Church was moved across the road to its current spot next to Holy Trinity Cathedral. The New Zealand Historic Places Trust officially recognized it as an important historical building in 1981.
History of St Mary's Church
The first church, called Old St Mary's, was built in 1860. The first stone for the current church was laid in 1886. This church is over 50 metres (160 ft) long, making it the largest wooden Gothic church in the world.
Its architect, Benjamin Mountfort, was born in England. He became one of New Zealand's most important architects. He designed many Gothic Revival buildings, especially in Christchurch. Many people think St Mary's is the most impressive of his wooden church designs.
At first, they wanted to build the church from stone. But this plan was too expensive. Mountfort designed a huge church that looks like it should be made of stone, even though it's wood. St Mary's covers a large area of 840.0 square metres (9,042 sq ft). It has design features usually found in the big medieval cathedrals in Europe.
In 1887, Bishop William Cowie decided St Mary's would be the main cathedral church. The first part of the church, including the altar area and part of the main hall (nave), was ready and used in 1888.
The church was fully completed in 1898 with the addition of more sections. This was one of Mountfort's last big projects.
Unique Design Features
From the outside, the most noticeable parts of this long, rectangular building are its many pointed roofs, called gables. These gables are often above tall, narrow windows. This design highlights the Gothic style. You can see this clearly on the outside of the altar area, where three tall windows rise into the gables. The altar area itself has three sides. This shape was chosen because building a traditional rounded shape in wood was difficult.
The front of the church, where the main entrance is, shows the building's full height. It has one large gable. This gable has windows on the ground floor and two levels of windows higher up, called clerestory windows. The top of this gable slopes at two different angles. The architect did this to make the center of the gable taller. This made the ceiling higher over the central walkway (aisle), just like in a real Gothic cathedral.
However, this design makes the roof look like it's built to handle heavy snow. Since it doesn't snow much here, it gives the church a unique, almost "Swiss chalet" look. This makes the building very special. Almost a hundred years later, the new Holy Trinity Cathedral's roofline was designed to subtly echo this unique feature.
Moving the Church
In 1982, St Mary's Church was moved to the grounds of the Holy Trinity Cathedral. This was a huge engineering challenge. The church was transported across the road and turned 90 degrees to sit in its new spot.
Heritage Status
St Mary's Cathedral Church was officially recognized as a Category I building by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. This happened on 26 November 1981, and its registration number is 21.
