St Patrick's Cathedral, Auckland
Encyclopedia
The Cathedral of St Patrick and St Joseph (usually known as St Patrick's Cathedral) is the Cathedral of the Catholic Bishop of Auckland
.
, the first Bishop, on 01 June 1841. To minister to the 300 or 400, mostly Irish, Catholics in Auckland in the 1840s, a wooden chapel, clergy house and school room (the first amenity ready for use) were opened and blessed on 29 January 1843. Work soon began on a more permanent church. In 1845, the Australian architect Walter Robinson arrived in Auckland on the encouragement of Pompallier and he was commissioned to design a stone church. The new church was built on the original grant of land and situated on the corner of Chapel Street (now Federal Street) and Wyndham St.
was laid, and the old stone church became the transept
, the altar, for which a recess was built in 1895, being on the east wall. The architect for this major addition was Edward Mahoney. Between 1884 and 1885, the nave was extended according to Edward's scheme. The nave had a tower, and the bells for this were brought from Rome. The organ was brought from Brompton Oratory, London for 600 pounds. The new addition was opened on 15 March 1885 by Archbishop Redwood
, the Archbishop of Wellington
.
Edward Mahoney's son and architectural partner, Thomas Mahoney
, was ultimately responsible, by 1907, for the final demolition of the 1848 church, the further extension of the nave (by 12.2 metres), the addition of a sanctuary, the construction of four sacristies and two side chapels, and the addition of three ample entrance porches (one constituting the Baptistry). The building was transformed from a modest structure into a large and impressive building befitting its status as the Catholic cathedral of Auckland. On 23 February 1908, the newly reconstructed building - the present St Patrick's Cathedral - was opened by Cardinal Moran, the Archbishop of Sydney
.
.
) was the climactic location in the 1988 Vincent Ward
-directed film The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey
.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Auckland
The Latin Rite Catholic Diocese of Auckland is one of the two original dioceses in New Zealand. Although formally a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Wellington, both were erected on 20 June 1848...
.
Origins
It is on the original site granted by the Crown to Jean Baptiste PompallierJean Baptiste Pompallier
Jean Baptiste François Pompallier was the first vicar apostolic to visit New Zealand. He was born in Lyon, France. He became the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland.-Appointment and voyage:...
, the first Bishop, on 01 June 1841. To minister to the 300 or 400, mostly Irish, Catholics in Auckland in the 1840s, a wooden chapel, clergy house and school room (the first amenity ready for use) were opened and blessed on 29 January 1843. Work soon began on a more permanent church. In 1845, the Australian architect Walter Robinson arrived in Auckland on the encouragement of Pompallier and he was commissioned to design a stone church. The new church was built on the original grant of land and situated on the corner of Chapel Street (now Federal Street) and Wyndham St.
Cathedral
At first referred to as a chapel, and then a church, St Patrick's became the Catholic Cathedral when Auckland was made a diocese in 1848 and when Pompallier, after a visit to France and Rome, returned to Auckland in April 1850, and made the city (then the capital of New Zealand) his headquarters. This simple, plain church, seating 700, was built of locally quarried hammered scoria and had a very substantial appearance similar to others designed by Walter Robinson at this time.Expansion
On 04 May 1884, the foundation stone of a new (24.4m by 12.2m) naveNave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
was laid, and the old stone church became the transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
, the altar, for which a recess was built in 1895, being on the east wall. The architect for this major addition was Edward Mahoney. Between 1884 and 1885, the nave was extended according to Edward's scheme. The nave had a tower, and the bells for this were brought from Rome. The organ was brought from Brompton Oratory, London for 600 pounds. The new addition was opened on 15 March 1885 by Archbishop Redwood
Francis Redwood
Francis William Mary Redwood SM , was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Wellington, Metropolitan of New Zealand.Redwood was born on 8 April 1839 on the Tixall estate, Staffordshire, England. In 1842 he sailed to New Zealand with his parents on the George Fyfe...
, the Archbishop of Wellington
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington
The Latin Rite Catholic Archdiocese of Wellington is the Metropolitan Archdiocese of New Zealand. Catholics number about 83,214 . Parishes number 47 parishes and the archdiocese extends over central New Zealand between Levin and Masterton in the north to Kaikoura to Westport in the...
.
Edward Mahoney's son and architectural partner, Thomas Mahoney
Edward and Thomas Mahoney
Edward Mahoney and his son and architectural partner, Thomas Mahoney , were prominent New Zealand architects based in Auckland. They were able exponent of Gothic Revival and other styles, especially built in wood, but also in masonry and concrete...
, was ultimately responsible, by 1907, for the final demolition of the 1848 church, the further extension of the nave (by 12.2 metres), the addition of a sanctuary, the construction of four sacristies and two side chapels, and the addition of three ample entrance porches (one constituting the Baptistry). The building was transformed from a modest structure into a large and impressive building befitting its status as the Catholic cathedral of Auckland. On 23 February 1908, the newly reconstructed building - the present St Patrick's Cathedral - was opened by Cardinal Moran, the Archbishop of Sydney
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney is a Latin rite metropolitan archdiocese, located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.Erected in 1842 and directly responsible to the Holy See, the Archdiocese is responsible for the suffragan dioceses of Armidale, Bathurst, Broken Bay, Lismore,...
.
Consecration
On 1 September 1963, St Patrick's Cathedral, free of debt and built in permanent materials, was solemnly consecrated by Archbishop ListonJames Michael Liston
James Michael Liston, CMG was the Seventh Catholic Bishop of Auckland.-Early life:James Michael Liston was born in Dunedin on 9 June 1881, one of a family of five children of James Liston, a hotel-keeper, and his wife, Mary . His parents were both born in Ireland. He was educated at Kavanagh...
.
Novelties
A major restoration programme was completed in 2007. This involved a major reordering of the interior of the Cathedral. The Cathedral is registered as a historic place. St Patrick's Cathedral (especially its spireSpire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
) was the climactic location in the 1988 Vincent Ward
Vincent Ward
Vincent Ward, ONZM is a film director and screenwriter.-Biography:Vincent Ward was awarded an Order of New Zealand Merit in 2007 for his contribution to film making. He was born in Greytown, New Zealand. He was educated at St Patrick's College, Silverstream and trained as an artist at the...
-directed film The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey
The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey
The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey is a 1988 feature film, an official Australian-New Zealand co-production, directed by Vincent Ward. It won numerous New Zealand and Australian awards, including the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Film, and several awards at European fantasy film festivals...
.
External links
- St Patricks Cathedral,Auckland website (retrieved 9 September 2011)