Building Timeline
The history of the Christchurch Basilica
Jennie Meuldijk
Credit: Bernard Spragg, 27 May 2007. Source: QuakeStudies
Building the Christchurch Basilica:
The “waterlogged” land on Barbadoes Street was purchased in 1857 following a difficult negotiation, according to the Court Clerk Mr Burke. A Pro-Cathedral was built on the site, and remained there for forty years. When plans were finalised for a Cathedral to be built in its stead, the Pro-Cathedral was moved to a new site on Ferry Road - at the time, it was the largest building in New Zealand to be relocated (1900).
The Bishop of Christchurch at the time, Bp. John Grimes, made donation appeals to both Catholic and public communities in an effort to get the Catholic Cathedral funded. In one article from The Tablet, he is reported to have made an appeal at the Pro-Cathedral in Kensington, England during his visit there (22 October 1898, p. 671).
“I am sure that all, both priests and people, will assist in the work when they recollect, in spite of his well-known personal repugnance for such a task, that their bishop is undergoing so much labour and anxiety in order to get a nucleus of a fund wherewith to start the work.” (The New Zealand Tablet, 1898)
Donation drives played a major part in funding the build of Christchurch's first Cathedral. Construction of the Catholic Cathedral began in 1901, however donation appeals were still needed partway through the construction of the Cathedral. One of Bishop Grimes' public donation appeals, "Christchurch New Cathedral: Interesting Letter From the Bishop", was published in the New Zealand Tablet in 1904.
The Catholic Cathedral was opened by the Archbishop of Melbourne, Dr. Thomas Carr on February 12th, 1905. The Cathedral had been completed with a total cost of £52,213. The cost of £52,000.00 in 1905 would amount to approximately $11.45 million in 2024. In comparison, following the February Earthquakes, the estimated cost to repair the Catholic Cathedral had originated at $100 million and later climbed to an estimate of $150 million by 2018.
Credit: Bernard Spragg, 27 May 2007. Source: https://quakestudies.canterbury.ac.nz/store/object/70810
History:
- Catholic Basilica – The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. Lost Christchurch: Remembering Our Lost Heritage, 19 September 2011 - An online heritage site dedicated to Christchurch stories and heritage. Posted by Wendy, this article explores the efforts it took to make the Basilica a reality, including excerpts and statements from those involved, along with old photographs of the site from the 1850s-1900s. This article is part of Lost Christchurch’s Churches category.
- Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Canterbury Stories - This brief article, published by Christchurch City Libraries, details key dates of the Basilica’s construction and demolition.
- The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Christchurch City Libraries - This article goes through the finer details of the Basilica, including information about the original architect, the materials used in construction, the costs of the Basilica, conservation efforts, and the earthquake damage suffered by the building.
- A Tale of Two Churches, by Sally Blundell, North & South, February 2021 - This in-depth article traces the differences between the Anglican Christ Church Cathedral and the Catholic Cathedral / Basilica of the Blessed Sacrament. This article focuses especially on the differences in costs to restore both cathedrals, the decisions both cathedrals underwent, and the support given by the public and those in authority.
- Story: Petre, Francis William, Te Ara - This biography details the life and work of the civil engineer and architect who designed the Christchurch Basilica, Francis William Petre.
Papers Past:
To search Papers Past for historical texts about the Basilica, try keywords like “Basilica”, “Catholic”, and “Cathedral”, and narrow your search by selecting a date range. For example, this keyword search that isolates articles between 1900 and 1910: Papers Past | Magazines and Journals Home
- Removal of the Catholic Pro-Cathedral: A Great Undertaking. Press, Volume LVII, Issue 10674, 5 June 1900, Page 6 - This article discusses the difficult process of moving the Roman Catholic Church from Barbadoes Street to its new location on Ferry Road, so that the Basilica could be built upon the site at Barbadoes Street.
- Diocese Of Christchurch. (From our own correspondent.) New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXIV, Issue 20, 22 September 1898, Page 5 - This article, directed to the Catholic Parishioners of Christchurch, writes about Bishop Grimes’ efforts overseas, collecting donations from Catholics in Belgium for the Cathedral to be built.
- Diocese Of Christchurch. (From our own correspondent.) New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVI, Issue 21, 29 September 1898, Page 19 - A follow-up article with words from Bishop Grimes about his efforts in Belgium to raise funds for the Cathedral.
- Christchurch New Cathedral: Interesting Letter From the Bishop. New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXII, Issue 16, 21 April 1904, Page 3 - A letter from the Bishop to the general public of New Zealand, appealing for funds to go towards the Basilica’s completion. At this stage, the Basilica is in the process of construction. This article mentions current money raised and spent on the building.
- The Architectural Gem of New Zealand: Solemnly Blessed and Opened Last Sunday. New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7, 16 February 1905, Page 6 - This article describes the opening ceremony of the Christchurch Basilica in February 1905 and addresses some of its history.
- Timaru (From our own correspondent.) New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 8, 23 February 1905, Page 5 - This article, addressed to the Catholic parishioners of Timaru, describes the opening ceremony of the Christchurch Basilica.
- Wedding Bells: Abbot-O'Connell. New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 8, 23 February 1905, Page 20 - An article celebrating the first marriage ceremony in the Christchurch Basilica.
Images:
- Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Barbadoes Street, Uploaded by Christchurch City Libraries - This collection of images shows the Basilica pre-quakes, with brief descriptions that include the total cost of the Basilica’s construction.
- Canterbury Stories (Tag: Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament) - Canterbury Stories is a site run by the Christchurch City Libraries. This tag filters all images to only show those containing the Catholic Cathedral / Basilica both before and after the quakes. You can refine the search results in numerous ways, for example by selecting a collection or sorting by date.
- CEISMIC, Keywords: Basilica, Interior - This keyword search on CEISMIC contains a small collection of photographs that depict the interior of the Basilica prior to the February 2011 earthquakes.