New Zealand to demolish cathedral damaged by earthquakes

[News_Editor]

New Zealand to demolish cathedral damaged by earthquakes

2012-03-04 07:03:02 GMT+7 (ICT)

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (BNO NEWS) -- An iconic 131-year-old cathedral which was heavily damaged by last year's earthquakes in the New Zealand city of Christchurch will be demolished in the coming months, church authorities announced on Friday.

A series of strong earthquakes struck Christchurch, the largest city on New Zealand's South Island, in 2011 after it was previously struck by a 7.1-magnitude earthquake in September 2010. The earthquakes caused extreme damage to the city, including to the iconic ChristChurch Cathedral.

As a result of the damage, Bishop Victoria Matthews announced on Friday that the cathedral will be partially demolished, bringing down its walls to a level of approximately two or three meters (6.5 or 9.8 feet) in order to meet safety requirements and allow the safe retrieval of taonga and heritage items which can then be stored and protected until decisions about a new Cathedral are made.

"The Cathedral will be deconstructed with the utmost care and respect while at the same time protecting the treasures within its walls - there will be no bulldozers or wrecking balls, on the job," said Matthews. "We acknowledge the high level of community interest and sense of ownership as the Cathedral was both an iconic building and a place of regular worship by many. However, this is now a very dangerous building that needs to be made safe."

Matthews said plans are being made for a new cathedral, although a replica has been ruled out due to an estimated $100 million shortfall. "We are now looking to the future and creating a beautiful, inspiring, safe new Cathedral but we understand it will take some time for any of these decisions to be made," the bishop said. "Meanwhile, we are committed to establishing a Transitional Cathedral in the central city to bring hope to Christchurch and provide a much-needed venue where the community can pray, reflect and gather for worship."

Friday's announcement was met with mixed emotion. A number of residents have expressed anger because the decision was made without public consultation, and some believe the 19th-century cathedral can still be saved despite its extreme damage.

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