Christchurch Cathedral

Christchurch City Coat of Arms

ROCKHAPPENZ Public Collection

Christchurch Cathedral  —  Cathedral Square, Christchurch

Christchurch Cathedral, also called Christ Church Cathedral and (rarely) Cathedral Church of Christ, is a deconsecrated Anglican cathedral in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand.  It was built between 1864 and 1904 in the centre of the city, surrounded by Cathedral Square and it became the cathedral seat of the Bishop of Christchurch, who is in the New Zealand tikanga of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.

Earthquakes in 1881, 1888, 1901, 1922, 2010 and 2011 have repeatedly damaged the building (mostly the spire).  The February 2011 Christchurch earthquake destroyed the spire and the upper portion of the tower, and severely damaged the rest of the building.  A lower portion of the tower was demolished immediately following the 2011 earthquake to facilitate search and rescue operations.  The remainder of the tower was demolished in March 2012.  The badly damaged west wall, which contained the rose window, partially collapsed in the June 2011 earthquake and suffered further damage in the December 2011 earthquakes.

... immediately after the 2011 earthquake

... some progress towards restoration

The Anglican Church decided to demolish the building and replace it with a new structure, but various groups opposed the church's intentions, with actions including taking a case to court.  While the judgements were mostly in favour of the church, no further demolition occurred after the removal of the tower in early 2012. Government expressed its concern over the stalemate and appointed an independent negotiator and in September 2017, the Christchurch Diocesan Synod announced that ChristChurch Cathedral will be reinstated after promises of extra grants and loans from local and central government.  By mid-2019 early design and stabilisation work had begun.  Since 15 August 2013 the cathedral community has worshipped at what is known as the Cardboard Cathedral (an interim Cathedral on Latimer Square).

... a view of the destruction resulting from the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes

... a pause in reconstruction due to funding constrictions