Christ Church Cathedral

Christchurch Central City, New Zealand

No longer standing

Demolished or destroyed.

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Christ Church Cathedral stands in central Christchurch, New Zealand, a Gothic Revival structure begun in 1864 and completed in 1904 by architects George Gilbert Scott and Benjamin Mountfort. Built to serve as the seat of the Bishop of Christchurch within the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, the cathedral occupied Cathedral Square and endured repeated seismic damage throughout its history. The devastating February 2011 Christchurch earthquake destroyed its spire and severely compromised the tower and walls, prompting initial demolition efforts. However, community opposition and legal challenges halted further destruction after the tower's removal in 2012, leaving the building in a state of ruined preservation. Following government intervention and negotiations, the Christchurch Diocesan Synod committed in September 2017 to reinstate the cathedral, with stabilisation and design work beginning by mid-2019. The building is registered as a Heritage New Zealand Category 1 historic place.