Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Christchurch
Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Christchurch
The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Barbadoes Street is regarded as one of the finest examples of church architecture in Australasia. This page profiles the architect and the construction of the Cathedral, and provides links to futher reading.
Following the earthquakes of 2010 and February 2011, the Cathedral was severely damaged. There has been considerable heritage deconstruction. A decision on the future of the Cathedral is still to be made.
Francis William Petre (1847-1918) designed the Cathedral. It is based on old Roman basilicas, but is neo-classical in style and derived from eighteenth-century French examples. It has often been compared to Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London but is not, as is sometimes claimed, a smaller replica.
Petre specialised in church design, and there are examples of his work in Dunedin (St Joseph’s), Oamaru (St Patrick’s), Waimate (St Patrick’s), Wellington (Sacred Heart) and Invercargill (St Mary’s). One of the first New Zealand-born architects to achieve widespread recognition, Petre was also a founding member of the New Zealand Institute of Architects. Original public domain image from Flickr