vintage cathedral Christchurch New Zealand Postcard

From a vintage photo postcard, beautifully restored, red filter and matching borders applied. The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, located in the city centre of Christchurch, New Zealand, commonly known as the Christchurch Basilica,[1] is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Christchurch and seat of the Bishop of Christchurch. It was designed by architect Francis Petre. Today the building, said by some to be based on the 19th-century Church of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, Paris[2] is held to be the finest renaissance style building in New Zealand and the most outstanding of all Petre's many designs. The Cathedral was closed after the 2010 Canterbury earthquake of 4 September 2010. The February 2011 Christchurch earthquake collapsed the two bell towers at the front of the building and destabilised the dome. The dome was removed and the rear of the Cathedral was demolished.