| St Mary's Cathedral | |
|---|---|
 St Mary's Cathedral in the 1880s, prior to its destruction | |
 | |
| 41°16′36″S 174°46′34″E / 41.2766°S 174.7762°E | |
| Location | Thorndon, Wellington Central City |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Previous denomination | Catholic |
| History | |
| Status | Cathedral (first church) (1851 – 1898) |
| Founded | 1851 |
| Founder(s) | Philippe Viard, 1st Bishop of Wellington |
| Consecrated | 7 December 1851 (the feast of the Immaculate Conception) |
| Associated people | Francis Redwood, 2nd Bishop and 1st Archbishop of Wellington |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Destroyed by fire |
| Architect(s) | Christian Julius Toxward |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1850 |
| Completed | 1867 |
| Demolished | 1898 (by fire) |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 500 |
| Length | 33 metres (108 ft) |
| Nave length | 21 metres (70 ft) |
| Width | 18 metres (58 ft) |
| Nave width | 6.1 metres (20 ft) |
| Height | 32 metres (106 ft) |
| Nave height | 12 metres (40 ft) |
| Materials | Predominately 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]