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Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Christchurch

1860 establishments in New Zealand1900s architecture in New Zealand2011 Christchurch earthquake20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in New ZealandBasilica churches in New Zealand
Buildings and structures demolished as a result of the 2011 Christchurch earthquakeBuildings and structures demolished in 2021Christchurch Central CityChurch buildings with domesChurches in ChristchurchFrancis Petre church buildingsHeritage New Zealand Category 1 historic places in Canterbury, New ZealandListed churches in New ZealandRoman Catholic cathedrals in New ZealandRoman Catholic churches completed in 1905Stone churches in New ZealandUse British English from July 2011
ChristchurchBasilica Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament
ChristchurchBasilica Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament

The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament (popularly known as the Christchurch Basilica) was a Catholic cathedral located in the city centre of Christchurch, New Zealand. It was the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Christchurch and seat of the Bishop of Christchurch. Designed by architect Francis Petre, it was generally held to be the finest renaissance-style building in New Zealand. On 7 April 1983, the building was registered as a Category I heritage item by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust, with the registration number 47. It was regarded as an outstanding example of church architecture in Australasia and was regarded as Petre's best design.The cathedral was closed after the 4 September 2010 Canterbury earthquake. The February 2011 Christchurch earthquake collapsed the two bell towers at the front of the building and destabilised the dome. The dome was removed, and the rear of the cathedral was demolished.The decision to demolish the cathedral was made public on 4 August 2019. Demolition work was completed in 2021. On 7 December 2019, Martin announced that a new $85 million Catholic cathedral was to be completed by 2025 and would accommodate up to 1,000 people. It would be built adjacent to Victoria Square.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Christchurch (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Christchurch
Barbadoes Street, Christchurch Central City

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N -43.5383 ° E 172.646 °
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Address

Wilson Parking

Barbadoes Street
8011 Christchurch, Central City
Canterbury, New Zealand
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ChristchurchBasilica Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament
ChristchurchBasilica Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament
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Music Centre of Christchurch
Music Centre of Christchurch

The Music Centre of Christchurch was a facility for music organisations in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand. It was established in 1994 and provided office, rehearsal, tuition and performance space for a wide range of music groups. The centre was adjacent to the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament and consisted of a group of four heritage buildings formerly the convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions and Sacred Heart College, a Catholic secondary school for girls founded in 1881 which was amalgamated with Xavier College, a neighbouring Catholic boys' school to form Catholic Cathedral College in 1987. The chapel, built in 1907, was designed by Joseph Munnings while he was in partnership with Samuel Hurst Seager and Cecil Wood. It is one of the only examples of Byzantine revival architecture in the Southern Hemisphere. The three-storey main convent building, designed in 1882 by Francis Petre is the oldest building in the complex. It was opened in 1894. The Portery was added in 1902 to extend the convent. It was restored with the girls’ boarding hostel for Sacred Heart College, constructed in 1930. Both buildings became part of the music centre in 2004. The chapel was the primary performance space. The buildings were badly damaged in the 22 February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Two of the centre's four buildings sustained significant earthquake damage. The three-storey main building has been demolished. It was hoped that the music centre would reopen on the existing site but it moved to Antigua Street to a purpose-built building called The Piano. The Christchurch School of Music, one of the tenants of the Music Centre, had about 800 students attending weekly classes taught by 80 teachers at the Music Centre and the adjacent Catholic Cathedral College. Those classes were now being held at Christchurch Boys' High School and Rangi Ruru Girls' School.

Community of the Sacred Name
Community of the Sacred Name

The Community of the Sacred Name is a convent and chapel in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand. The second Anglican bishop of Christchurch, Churchill Julius, wanted to see a community of nuns established in Christchurch. Edith Mellish from London was chosen and she arrived in Christchurch in August 1893. She founded the Community of the Sisters of Bethany, and in 1895, the sisters moved to Barbadoes Street.Originally, three buildings were erected on the corner of Barbadoes and St Asaph Streets. The first two were known as Deaconess House, with the first of these a simple one-storey designed by Benjamin Mountfort; he was one of New Zealand's most eminent architects and gave Christchurch a unique architectural identity. The second building was added in 1900, running perpendicular to the first building at two storeys high. This second building was designed by Cyril Mountfort, the son of Benjamin Mountfort, and contained the chapel. The third building, fronting Barbadoes Street, was designed by John Goddard Collins of Armson, Collins and Harman and built in 1911–12. It was a prominent two-storey brick building, hiding the original buildings behind it. In 1912, the community was renamed to avoid confusion with another community, and they were from then known as the Community of the Sacred Name.The brick building was damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and later demolished. The sisters sold the remaining timber buildings to a charity called 'Home and Family'. A restoration deal was brokered by Heritage New Zealand, with the organisation itself, the Lotteries Commission, and Christchurch City Council significantly contributing to the NZ$2.9m renovation and repair costs.The buildings are registered by Heritage New Zealand as a Category I item, with registration number 4387 registered on 15 February 1990.