St Patrick’s Cathedral is cruciform in design with several additions. If we regard Wyndham Street as lying in an east-west direction, the Cathedral’s liturgical and geographical directions coincide: East is east and West is west! PLAN
2. ST PATRICK’S
Although the Cathedral is dwarfed by nearby skyscrapers, it is nicely placed in its own paved square. This view is from the north-west. Governor Hobson granted this land to Bishop Pampallier in 1841. Two bells are located in the tower, dated 1723 and 1750 [4]. [This is a Cathedral photo.]
3. ST PETER CHANEL VINE
This vine is from the original vines brought from France in the 1830s [1a]. Peter Chanel (1803 – 1841) was a French Marist missionary to Tonga where he served and was martyred.
4. NORTH TRANSEPT
The Cathedral is Gothic in design and has an attractive simplicity in its structure. The Sky Tower looms up close benind it.
5. WATER FEATURE
Water flows out in a channel from near the North transept door, and down a stepped slope. Around the channel is inscribed a quote from Julian of Norwich: ‘But all shall be well and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well’.
6. EAST WALL
The East wall is characterized by the protrusion of the tiny Blessed Sacrament Chapel. We note too the infill chapels closest to us, and the small central spire or flèche.
7. SOUTH WEST VIEW
The Cathedral stands very gracefully on its plaza as seen from this angle. The nave and belltower were completed in 1884, and the Cathedral was completed in 1908. In 2007 the 1950s aluminium roof tiles were removed and 40,000 slates restored. [50]
8. SOUTH WALL
The porches at the Cathedral entries prove to be very useful for Auckland’s sudden tropical downpours! We see on this wall the original ‘confessionals’ which now are often renamed as ‘reconciliation rooms’. Notice the wall plaques at left.
9. COMMEMORATIVE TABLETS
At bottom left is the foundation stone for the nave and bell tower in 1884. [51] The paving tiles recall the earlier timber (1842) and stone (1848) churches.
10. ENTRY
Now we come to enter the Cathedral! An entry porch extends out to the West, and leads to a central lobby. On either side is a further entry porch. [3, 4] The old kauri doors date from the 1880s.
11. WEST DOOR
The attractive West door has a superb rose window above.
12. WEST ROSE
There must be some history of the Cathedral doorways, but it is hard to find ...
13. NORTH WEST PLAQUES
In the North West corner are two commemorative plaques. They acknowledge the reopening of the Cathedral after the 2007 restoration, the opening of the first church on 29 January 1843, the consecration of the second church on 19 March 1848, and the establishment as the cathedral on 20 June 1848 [2].
15. ST VINCENT DE PAUL
This wooden statue is of St Vincent de Paul, the patron saint of charitable work, pictured with two children. The artist is unknown.
16. POPE FRANCIS
On the North wall of the lobby is a photgraph of Pope Francis and three unexplained carved trees. There are many allusions to trees in Scripture, particularly Psalm 1:3 likening the person of faith to a tree.
17. ST PATRICK
The lobby contains a wooden statue of St Patrick, and a tablet with the words of ‘St Patrick’s Breastplate’. St Patrick is often shown with church in hand and snakes underfoot – with reference to establishing the church in Ireland, and the legend that he banished snakes from there.
18. SOUTH ENTRY PORCH
The South entry porch contains two bronze busts: the bust of Bishop Liston who was the 7th Bishop of Auckland (1929 – 1970) by Anthony Stones, Auckland, 1983, and the bust of Bishop Pompallier who was the 1st Bishop of Auckland, by William Wright, Auckland, 1938.
19. NARTHEX
The lobby and two entry porches lead to a broad narthex which contains a number of items of interest. [5]
20. JESUS DIVINE WORKMAN
Of particular interest is this thought-provoking wooden statue of Jesus Divine Workman, hand carved by Anton Dapre, London 1937. It shows Jesus the carpenter fashioning a cross.