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ChristChurch Cathedral, a deconsecrated Anglican cathedral in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, was built between 1864 and 1904 in the centre of the city, surrounded by Cathedral Square. It became the cathedral seat of the Bishop of Christchurch in the New Zealand ''tikanga'' of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. Repeated earthquakes have damaged the building (mostly the spire) in the course of its history: in 1881, 1888, 1901, 1922, and September 2010. The February 2011 Christchurch earthquake destroyed the spire and part of the tower, and severely damaged the structure of the remaining building. The remainder of the tower was demolished in March 2012. The west wall suffered collapses in the June 2011 earthquake and the December 2011 quake〔http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch-earthquake-2011/6184508/Aftershock-swarm-rocks-Canterbury〕 due to a steel structure - intended to stabilise the rose window - pushing it in. The Anglican Church has decided to demolish the building and replace it with a new structure - a decision which has become controversial in post-quake Christchurch. Various groups have opposed the church's intentions, with actions including taking a case to court. the judgements have mostly been in favour of the church, with one more judgement pending. No demolition has occurred since the removal of the tower in early 2012. Since 15 August 2013 the cathedral community has worshipped at the Cardboard Cathedral. ==History== The origins of the cathedral date back to the plans of the Canterbury Association, which aimed to build a city around a central cathedral and college in the Canterbury region, based on the English model of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. In the original survey of central Christchurch (known as the Black Map), undertaken in 1850, it was envisaged for the college and cathedral to be built in Cathedral Square. The area set aside for the college was found to be insufficient, and Henry Sewell suggested in June 1853 to move it to land reserved for the Christchurch Botanic Gardens. This transaction was formalised through ''The Cathedral Square Ordinance 1858'' passed by the Canterbury Provincial Council in October 1858. The ordinance allowed for Colombo Street to go through the middle of Cathedral Square at a legal width of with the cathedral to the west.〔 Henry Harper, the first Bishop of Christchurch, arrived in 1856 and began to drive the cathedral project.〔 Christianity has adopted the practice of praying towards the East as the Orient was thought of as containing the mankind's original home. Hence, most Christian churches are oriented towards the east,〔(【引用サイトリンク】url= http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11305a.htm )〕 and to comply with this convention, Harper lobbied to have the eastern side of Cathedral Square to be used. That way, the main entrance would face Colombo Street, resulting in praying towards the east in line with convention. ''The Cathedral Square Amendment Ordinance 1859'', formalised this change. In 1858 the project was approved by the diocese and a design was commissioned from George Gilbert Scott, a prolific British architect known for his Gothic Revival churches and public buildings (he later built St Pancras railway station in London, England, and St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland). Scott never visited Christchurch, but handed over the oversight of the project to Robert Speechly.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url= http://www.christchurchcathedral.co.nz/Discover/Overview/Cathedral-History )〕 Just before work on the foundations began, the alignment of Colombo Street through Cathedral Square was changed by introducing a curve towards the west, with the western side of the legal road having a radius of 3 chains 75 links (), to place the cathedral slightly further west, making its tower visible along Colombo Street from a distance. The cornerstone was laid on 16 December 1864, but financial problems in the fledgling city saw its completion delayed between 1865 and 1873. At the start of the project, Christchurch was still a small town (its male population numbering only 450) and raising funds for construction proved to be difficult. Commentators of the time voiced their disappointment at the lack of progress – the novelist Anthony Trollope visited in 1872 and referred to the "vain foundations" as a "huge record of failure".〔 In 1873 a new resident architect, New Zealander Benjamin Mountfort, took over and construction began again. Mountfort adapted Scott's design, adding tower balconies and the west porch and decorative details such as the font, pulpit and stained glass.〔 The initial plans called for wooden construction, but were changed with the discovery of a source of good quality stone locally. Banks Peninsula totara and matai timber were used for the roof supports.〔 The nave, long, and tower were consecrated on 1 November 1881, but the transepts, chancel and sanctuary were not finished until 1904.〔(The Cathedrals of Christchurch ), Christchurch City Libraries〕 The Christchurch Beautifying Society planted two plane trees to the south in 1898.〔 The Rhodes family, who arrived in Canterbury before the First Four Ships, provided funds for the tower and spire. Robert Heaton Rhodes built the tower in memory of his brother George and the spire was added by George's children. The family purchased eight bells and a memorial window and paid for renovations as required. In May 2012, the Rhodes memorial window depicting St John the Evangelist was recovered from the north wall. The spire reached to above Cathedral Square. Public access provided for a good viewpoint over the centre of the city, but the spire had been damaged by earthquakes on four occasions. The tower originally contained a peal of ten bells, cast by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough, and hung in 1881. The original bells were replaced in 1978 by 13 new bells, also cast at Taylors. In 1894, the widow of Alfred Richard Creyke arranged for the western porch to be built in his memory. On the south side of the nave there is a Watts-Russell Memorial Window in memory of her first husband.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.christchurchcathedral.co.nz/Discover/Inside-the-Cathedral/The-Nave-Southern-Side )〕 The cathedral underwent major renovations during 2006 and 2007, including the replacement of the original roof slates. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「ChristChurch Cathedral, Christchurch」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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