Christ Church Cathedral, Christchurch

ChristChurch Cathedral is in the middle of Cathedral Square. The Cathedral is the child of the Canterbury Association, founded by Parliament and the Anglican Church. Under the leadership of John Robert Godley, Anglo-Irish statesman, the colony of Christchurch became a reality in 1850.

In 1858 The Anglican diocese commissioned architect George Gilbert Scott to design the Cathedral. It was to be built in Scott's Gothic Revival style. The cornerstone was laid in 1864, but budget restraints halted construction in 1865. In 1873 New Zealand architect Benjamin Mountfort took over.

The 100 foot nave and tower were consecrated in 1881. The chancel, transepts and apse were finished in 1904. The tower and spire of the cathedral reached a height of 207 feet above the square. The cathedral was an all-stone construction.

From 1881 through 2011 the Cathedral was wracked by earthquakes. In 2011 a 6.3 magnitude earthquake in February left the Cathedral in ruins. The spire was destroyed completely. After a 6.4 magnitude quake in June, the walls partially fell in. In 2012 it was announced the building would be demolished.

After much litigation, in September of 2017 Bishop Victoria Mathews announced the Cathedral would be reinstated. The reconstruction would take an estimated 10 years.