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Story: Anglican Church

Christchurch Cathedral under construction

Christchurch Cathedral under construction

This is Christchurch Cathedral, in the city's Cathedral Square, under construction around the end of 1879. The foundations had been laid more than 10 years earlier, but lack of funds meant progress was slow. However the central nave was finished about three years after this photo was taken, and the whole building was finally completed in 1904. The beautiful cathedral, built of local stone, became New Zealand's best-known church building. It suffered only minor damage in the September 2010 earthquake and was declared safe for use three weeks later. However, it was severely damaged in the February 2011 earthquake. Since 2013 members of the church community have worshipped at the nearby cardboard cathedral. In 2017 the Christchurch Diocesan Synod decided to reinstate the cathedral.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: 1/2-022786-F

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Allan K. Davidson, Anglican Church – Colonial Anglicans, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/27664/christchurch-cathedral-under-construction (accessed 3 June 2026).

Story by Allan K. Davidson, published 23 March 2011.

Comments

Christopher Archer
11 March 2013
It could be appropriate to add a sentence here to record subsequent events along the line of the Wikipedia article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChristChurch_Cathedral,_Christchurch "The February 2011 Christchurch earthquake destroyed the spire and part of the tower – and severely damaged the structure of the remaining building. The cathedral had been damaged previously by earthquakes in 1881, 1888, 1901, 1922 and 2010. In late March 2012 work began demolishing the building.[1] A temporary replacement cathedral is being built"