St Paul's Church, Christchurch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Paul's Church |
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| St Paul's Trinity Pacific Presbyterian Church | |
St Paul's Church in 2007, prior to its demolition
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| 43°32′0.2″S 172°38′34.6″E / 43.533389°S 172.642944°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Previous denomination | Presbyterian |
| History | |
| Status | Church (former) |
| Founded | 1864 |
| Events | 2011 Christchurch earthquake |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Abandoned and demolished |
| Architect(s) | Samuel Farr |
| Architectural type | Church (former) |
| Completed | 1877 |
| Closed | February 2011 |
| Demolished | 2011 |
St Paul's Church was a special old church building in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was built in 1877 and was a Presbyterian church, which is a type of Christian church. Because it was so important, it was listed as a top heritage building. Sadly, after a big earthquake in 2011, the church was badly damaged and had to be taken down.
Contents
The Story of St Paul's Church
Building the Church
St Paul's Church was built in 1877. It stood at the corner of Cashel and Madras Streets in the middle of Christchurch. Before this church, there was an older one on a different street. That first church was for a group of people who had left another church called St Andrew's. Both the old and new churches were designed by an architect named Samuel Farr. The new church was asked for by a reverend named John Elmslie.
A New Name and Community
In 1969, St Paul's Church joined together with another church called Trinity-Pacific Congregational Church. After this, it got a new, longer name: St Paul's Trinity Pacific Presbyterian Church. Reverend Leonard Jones and Kenape Faletoese led this new church, which became a place for many different cultures. Over the next 30 years, most of the members became people of Samoan heritage.
Damage and Demolition
On August 5, 2009, the church was damaged by a fire. It was fixed, but then it got more damage from the 2010 Canterbury earthquake. The worst damage happened during the big 2011 Christchurch earthquake in February 2011, when part of the church fell down. Because of this severe damage, the church had to be taken down by June 2011.
Why St Paul's Church Was Special
St Paul's Church was officially listed as a Category I heritage building by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. This means it was considered a very important historical place. It was added to this list on April 2, 1985. However, after the 2011 earthquake, the building was removed from the heritage list because it could no longer stand.
