St Mary's Cathedral, Wellington

St Mary's Cathedral
St Mary's Cathedral in the 1880s, prior to its destruction
Map
41°16′36″S 174°46′34″E / 41.2766°S 174.7762°E / -41.2766; 174.7762
LocationThorndon, Wellington Central City
CountryNew Zealand
Previous denominationCatholic
History
StatusCathedral (first church)
(1851 – 1898)
Founded1851
Founder(s)Philippe Viard, 1st Bishop of Wellington
Consecrated7 December 1851 (the feast of the Immaculate Conception)
Associated peopleFrancis Redwood, 2nd Bishop and 1st Archbishop of Wellington
Architecture
Functional statusDestroyed by fire
Architect(s)Christian Julius Toxward
Architectural typeChurch
StyleGothic Revival
Groundbreaking1850
Completed1867
Demolished1898 (by fire)
Specifications
Capacity500
Length33 metres (108 ft)
Nave length21 metres (70 ft)
Width18 metres (58 ft)
Nave width6.1 metres (20 ft)
Height32 metres (106 ft)
Nave height12 metres (40 ft)
MaterialsPredominately New Zealand timber, such as tōtara and rimu; slate and lead

St Mary's Cathedral was a former Roman Catholic cathedral church located in Wellington, New Zealand. Completed in 1851, the cathedral served as the mother church for the Archdiocese of Wellington and the seat of the Catholic Bishop of Wellington until the building was destroyed by fire in 1898.

When the building reached its final form in 1867, St Mary's Cathedral was considered[by whom?] one of the finest, if not the finest, ecclesiastical structure in the colony.[citation needed] It was an important landmark in Wellington and its situation on Golder's Hill in Thorndon meant that it could be seen from many parts of the city and from points around the Wellington Harbour. Its beautiful, gilded statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, high up on the tower, and the gilded crosses on its parapets, gables and tower were particularly admired features.[citation needed]