The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament (Christchurch Basilica) is positioned in the centre of Christchurch, in New Zealand. The building opened in 1905 and was formerly the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chrischurch and the seat of the Bishop for the city. The magnificent building had some level of association with the Vatican and before the 2010 earthquakes it was, by general consensus, considered to be the finest renaissance-style building in New Zealand. Initially, however, the structure started life as a small wooden chapel in October 1860; measuring 7.3m by 5.5m at a cost of £75. Regardless, forty-five years later, on the same site, the existing cathedral was fully completed at a cost of £52,800. It took fifty men, 120,000 cubic ft of stone, 4,000 cubic ft of concrete and 90 tons of steel to complete the building. For its architect, Francis William Petre, it was the pinnacle of his career; a momentous Neo-Classic Gothic building standing as a symbol of triumph. It is alleged that the design was based on both the Church of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul and the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. Unfortunately, the Canterbury earthquake of 2010 prompted the closure of the cathedral on 4th September of that year, to allow for restoration and strengthening. Nevertheless, a second earthquake in 2011 caused extensive damage to the structure, insofar that it is unsure as to whether it will be demolished or not. Both bell towers positioned at the front of the cathedral collapsed, bringing down much of the front facade, and a significant proportion of the stained glass shattered while large blocks of masonry also damaged numerous cars in the surrounding area. Internally the cathedral suffered catastrophically, and many of the cracks appear to be beyond repair. Fortunately, the priests within the building at the time of the earthquake were on their lunch break and they managed to evade much of the falling debris.
Having been in New Zealand for a little while now I decided that it was worth travelling up to Christchurch to witness the catastrophic destruction of the earthquakes which occurred back in 2010 and 2011. Fortunately, I managed to contact Nillskill, a member of Urbex Central - a New Zealand based exploration group - and we managed to meet up in the city centre for a few days; so I wasn't alone in my venture. Christchurch is absolutely massive and there are many buildings open to explore; providing you're patient and look very carefully. This wasn't the first explore, but it was perhaps the most spectacular. After sneaking around for a little while, avoiding the usual suspects (secca and the police), we found a subtle way inside and the scene before us was astonishing, if not surreal. Much of the cathedral was significantly damaged and visible cracks could be sighted everywhere. As for the various objects inside, many of them had been crushed by much of the masonry and parts of the roof. Altogether I couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness for the place, seeing that in its day it was indisputably a very grand and spectacular structure.
Note: Apologies for the pic-heavy report, but I felt that in order to properly give viewers a true sense of this spectacular building they were all necessary.
1: The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament (Front Entrance)
2: Collapsed Side Entrance
3: Frontal Columns
4: Sing Praise Hymnbooks
5: Cracks Above Stained Glass
6: The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament (Facing where the Alter would have been)
7: Collapsed Stand
8: The Crushed Organ
9: Destruction inside the Cathedral
10: The Collapsed Columns
11: Missing Roof
12: The Former Alter Space
13: Founders and Benefactors
14: Candle Stand
15: Smaller Decorative Alter
16: Stained Glass and Wall Decor
17: Crushed Chairs
18: Plaque Commemorating Pope John Paul II
19: Unknown Object in one of the Side Rooms
20: Gates and Stairs
21: A View up the Stairs
22: The Cathedral Trust
23: Wall Decor Bird
24: Collapsed Glass onto Staircase
25: The Centre of the Cathedral
26: Upper Balcony/Walkway
27: Upper Balcony Seating
28: Chandelier and Stained Glass
29: The Lonely Pew
30: Reception Booth
31: The Organ Closeup
32: The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament (Upstairs View)
33: The Grand Roof
34: Donations Box
Having been in New Zealand for a little while now I decided that it was worth travelling up to Christchurch to witness the catastrophic destruction of the earthquakes which occurred back in 2010 and 2011. Fortunately, I managed to contact Nillskill, a member of Urbex Central - a New Zealand based exploration group - and we managed to meet up in the city centre for a few days; so I wasn't alone in my venture. Christchurch is absolutely massive and there are many buildings open to explore; providing you're patient and look very carefully. This wasn't the first explore, but it was perhaps the most spectacular. After sneaking around for a little while, avoiding the usual suspects (secca and the police), we found a subtle way inside and the scene before us was astonishing, if not surreal. Much of the cathedral was significantly damaged and visible cracks could be sighted everywhere. As for the various objects inside, many of them had been crushed by much of the masonry and parts of the roof. Altogether I couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness for the place, seeing that in its day it was indisputably a very grand and spectacular structure.
Note: Apologies for the pic-heavy report, but I felt that in order to properly give viewers a true sense of this spectacular building they were all necessary.
1: The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament (Front Entrance)
2: Collapsed Side Entrance
3: Frontal Columns
4: Sing Praise Hymnbooks
5: Cracks Above Stained Glass
6: The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament (Facing where the Alter would have been)
7: Collapsed Stand
8: The Crushed Organ
9: Destruction inside the Cathedral
10: The Collapsed Columns
11: Missing Roof
12: The Former Alter Space
13: Founders and Benefactors
14: Candle Stand
15: Smaller Decorative Alter
16: Stained Glass and Wall Decor
17: Crushed Chairs
18: Plaque Commemorating Pope John Paul II
19: Unknown Object in one of the Side Rooms
20: Gates and Stairs
21: A View up the Stairs
22: The Cathedral Trust
23: Wall Decor Bird
24: Collapsed Glass onto Staircase
25: The Centre of the Cathedral
26: Upper Balcony/Walkway
27: Upper Balcony Seating
28: Chandelier and Stained Glass
29: The Lonely Pew
30: Reception Booth
31: The Organ Closeup
32: The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament (Upstairs View)
33: The Grand Roof
34: Donations Box
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