Old St. Paul's Cathedral description and photos - New Zealand: Wellington (Topic)

Old St. Paul's Cathedral description and photos - New Zealand: Wellington. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is Old St. Paul's Cathedral.

Photo and description

Old St Paul's Cathedral is the former seat of the Bishop of the Wellington Diocese of the Anglican Church of Aotearoa of New Zealand and Polynesia (1866-1964) and an important historical and architectural monument. It is located near the Houses of Parliament on Mulgrave Street in the historic Thorndon district, and is a neo-Gothic all-timber structure with an incredibly beautiful interior, where luxury and elegance are harmoniously combined.

Ceremonial laying of the foundation of the future cathedral took place on August 21, 1865 in the presence of the Governor of New Zealand Sir George Gray, and on June 6, 1866, the Bishop of Wellington Charles Abraham consecrated the temple in honor of St. Paul. The original structure was designed by the Rev. Frederick Thatcher (later Vicar of St. Paul's Cathedral) and under the direction of engineer John McLaggan. Over time, a number of changes were made to the architectural appearance of the cathedral (the north and south transepts were added, the altar was slightly shifted to the east, the baptistery was expanded, etc.), and it acquired its present appearance by the end of the 19th century. Only the corrugated iron covering the roof since 1895 (before that the original roof, like the entire structure, was made of wood) was replaced by Welsh slate in 1924.

In 1964, the Diocese of Wellington moved to the new St. Paul's Cathedral, and the old cathedral was acquired by the New Zealand government and restored in 1967 in order to prevent its destruction and to preserve it for posterity.

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Topic: Old St. Paul's Cathedral description and photos - New Zealand: Wellington.