St Mary of the Angels, Wellington facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary of the Angels |
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| Location | 27 Boulcott Street, Wellington |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| Website | St Mary of the Angels |
| History | |
| Founded | 1843 |
| Consecrated | 26 March 1922 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Frederick de Jersey Clere |
| Style | Neo-Gothic |
| Years built | 1922 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Wellington Central |
| Diocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington |
St Mary of the Angels is a Catholic church in Wellington, New Zealand. It stands at the corner of Boulcott Street and O'Reily Avenue. This church is the main parish church for Wellington Central. It is also one of the most important churches in the city. Priests from the Marist Fathers have served at St Mary of the Angels since 1874. Before them, Father Jeremiah O'Reily, a Capuchin Franciscan, was the first priest. The church was used by Archbishop O'Shea as his special church from 1936 to 1954. It is also known for its beautiful church music.
Contents
History of the Church
The very first Catholic church on this spot was a small chapel. It was called "the chapel of the Nativity." Father O'Riley built it in 1843. Bishop Pompallier blessed this chapel the next year. Over time, this building grew bigger.
Building the First St Mary of the Angels
In 1874, a larger wooden church replaced the chapel. Father O'Riley named this new church "St Mary of the Angels." He chose this name after a special chapel called the Portincula chapel. This chapel was very important to St Francis of Assisi. The wooden church was made even bigger over the years.
Fire and Rebuilding
Sadly, a fire badly damaged the wooden church in 1918. After the fire, it had to be taken down. Records from the Mount Street Cemetery were lost in this fire. This cemetery was Wellington City's first Catholic burial ground.
The Current Church Building
The church building you see today was opened on March 26, 1922. Francis Redwood blessed the new church. A special Mass was held by James Michael Liston. Bishop Whyte of Dunedin gave a sermon that evening.
Architecture and Design
St Mary of the Angels is a very important building. Heritage New Zealand calls it a Category 1 Historic Place. This means it has "special or outstanding historical or cultural heritage significance." The site has been used as a church since 1843.
Church Design and Materials
The architect Frederick de Jersey Clere drew the plans for the church in 1919. Its design is like traditional Gothic style from France. People say the front of the church looks like the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels. The church is built with strong reinforced concrete and brick. Its roof is made of timber. This roof is held up by concrete arches and steel rods. Building it this way was new and clever for its time. It was the first time concrete was used for a Gothic-style church.
Stained Glass Windows
The church is famous for its many beautiful stained glass windows. There is a long line of windows around the upper part of the church, called the clerestory. A large round window, a rose window, is above the entrance. There is also a window showing the crucifixion above the main altar. Two big sets of 15 windows are at the ends of the side sections, called transepts. One set shows the fifteen decades of the Rosary. The other set shows the life of Saint Joseph. These windows let lots of light into the church.
Statues and Altars
The church also has many statues. You can see a smaller marble copy of Michelangelo's Moses outside. Inside, there are life-sized statues of the Pietà and the Holy Family. In the transepts, the altars for Our Lady and St Joseph are made of brown marble. They have statues of Our Lady of the Rosary and Saint Joseph. People can light votive candles in front of them. Other large statues include the Sacred Heart, St Vincent de Paul, St Marcellin Champagnat, and St Peter Chanel.
The main altar is made of Gothic marble. It has a tabernacle in front of a blue background. Behind it is a carved screen called a reredos with statues. In the 1960s, the altar was moved forward. This was done so the priest could face the people during Mass. The front of the altar has a carving of the Last Supper. The fancy columns in the special area near the altar have marble statues of angels on top.
Suzanne Aubert's Funeral
St Mary of the Angels is a special place because Mother Aubert's funeral was held here. She is being considered for sainthood. Her funeral was on October 4, 1926. It was the biggest funeral for a woman in New Zealand. The church was completely full for the special Mass. Huge crowds gathered along the streets to see her funeral procession. They watched as it went from the church to Karori Cemetery. One person asked, "What religion was this woman?" A worker nearby answered, "That is a question she would never have asked you or me!"
Church Music
St Mary of the Angels is well-known for its Gregorian Chant music. This tradition started in 1905. When the current church opened in 1922, a choir of 70 singers performed Mass. Edward Healy led this choir. Maxwell Fernie continued and improved the music for 40 years, from 1958 until he passed away in 1999. His student, Robert Oliver, then took over. The church's organ is very special. It was built in 1958. In 1984, it was changed a lot to fit Max Fernie's ideas.
Earthquake Strengthening
The church had to close after earthquakes in July and August 2013. It needed to be made stronger. Experts said the church was only 15% to 20% as strong as a new building should be. In New Zealand, buildings less than 33% strong are called "earthquake prone." They must be strengthened or torn down.
Reopening and Improvements
The church reopened in April 2017. It was made 100% strong against earthquakes. This work cost $9.5 million. The money was raised through a public campaign. The inside of the church looked mostly the same. However, new strong walls, called shear walls, were built. These were placed near the entrance and beside the sanctuary. All the fancy columns holding up the roof were replaced. The foundations and the copper and slate roof were also replaced. Some stained glass windows were partly covered from the outside by the new walls. But inside, they still looked the same. Lights made the images glow as if through other windows. The project made the church much safer. It felt more like a careful repair than a complete rebuild. This project won an award in 2018 for heritage restoration.
See also
In Spanish: Iglesia de Santa María de los Ángeles (Wellington) para niños
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington
- Society of Mary (Marists)
- Sacred Heart Cathedral, Wellington
- St Gerard's Church and Monastery
- St Joseph's Church, Mt Victoria
- Roman Catholicism in New Zealand
- St Patrick's College, Kilbirnie, Wellington
