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Story: Irish

Laying the foundation stone of Christchurch’s Catholic cathedral

Laying the foundation stone of Christchurch’s Catholic cathedral

Crowds at the laying of the foundation stone of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Barbadoes St, in February 1901. The area around Barbadoes St was a significant enclave of Christchurch’s Irish Catholics.

Using this item

Canterbury Museum

Reference: 1976.489.1; 1750

Permission of Canterbury Museum, Rolleston Avenue, Christchurch, New Zealand must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Jock Phillips, Irish – Culture and politics before 1911, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/61/laying-the-foundation-stone-of-christchurchs-catholic-cathedral (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Jock Phillips, published 4 March 2009, updated 1 August 2024.