Cathedral of Santa Maria de Christchurch
On Manchester Street, in the heart of Christchurch, the church of Santa Maria has served since the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011 as a procession of the diocese, erected in 1887. It is a 19th century wooden temple that, in the hardest hour of the city, hosted under the name of Mary the bishop's seat.
🌹 Wonders and anecdotes
- It is a 19th century wooden church: the diocesan tradition recalls that it wanted to be built in wood precisely to be able to move it if necessary, and the parish was established in 1889.
- When the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes damaged the Cathedral of the Most Holy Sacrament - opened in 1905 and demolished in 2020 - the entire diocese found refuge in Santa Maria: the Mother's house held the local Church in its test.
- It has a profound musical tradition: the chorus of the cathedral (CBS Music, founded in 1969) moved here after the earthquakes and holds weekly concerts, the Passion according to Saint John every Holy Friday and the Messiah every December.
- The diocese has decided to raise its new cathedral on the site of Barbadoes Street, the first new Catholic cathedral in New Zealand in over 120 years; as that day arrives, Santa Maria remains the beating heart.
Santa Maria
The procession of Santa Maria is the provisional and courageous seat of the diocese of Christchurch: a 19th century wooden church that picked up the Catholic community when the earthquakes brought down its cathedral. Under the protection of Mary, the city awaits its new cathedral while praying and singing.
"Holy Mary, Mother of God, support your Church in Christchurch and those who rebuild on hope.
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