Why is this place significant?

This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. This report includes the text from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION St Joseph's Roman Catholic Cathedral stands on an elevated site at the intersection of Smith and Rattray Streets east of Dunedin's city centre. A Gothic Revival style building which is strongly reminiscent of thirteenth century French cathedrals in appearance, St Joseph's was to have had a Latin cross plan with a sixty metre spire rising above the crossing. This ambitious plan was never realised, however, and only the nave, entrance facade and a "temporary" sanctuary were ever built. The cathedral as it stands today is therefore rectangular in plan and the sanctuary, which was also designed by Petre, is located in what was to have been the crossing. The cathedral is symmetrical about a central nave, seven bays in length, which is flanked by side aisles and terminated by the sanctuary and an imposing entrance facade. Flying buttresses transmit the weight of the main roof to buttresses which project from the aisle walls and alternating with these structural elements are lancet arched window openings with geometrical bar tracery. The interior of the cathedral is therefore lit by fourteen clerestory windows filled with cathedral glass and fourteen aisle windows which feature stained glass depictions of various saints and other holy figures. Franz Mayer & Co. of Munich supplied all of the stained glass in the building, whereas most of the cathedral glass was manufactured by a local craftsman, David Scott. The tracery within each window was designed by F.W. Petre and a notable feature of the cathedral is the variety of tracery which the architect uses within each series of windows. At the liturgical west end of the building three entrance portals and a rose window filled with stained glass are framed by twin towers rising twenty-four metres in height. The towers are buttressed and crowned by castellated parapets and heavy pinnacles which reinforce the vertical emphasis of the principal elevation. Within the northern tower a small entrance porch, which was previously used as the baptistry, now provides everyday access to the building. The southern tower contains a stone staircase which rises up to the choir and organ loft directly above the main entrance porch and it also houses the bell which was originally hung in the city's first Roman Catholic church. Between the two towers the main entrance to the cathedral opens off a porch with an Oamaru stone rib vaulted ceiling. Above the paired double doors of the entrance is a stained glass tympanum depicting a circle of angels adoring the Eucharistic host and this window was donated by Bishop Moran in 1890. The stained glass rose window above the main portal was gifted to the cathedral three years earlier by Edward and Margaret Murphy in memory of Andrew Murphy. Inside the cathedral seating is provided for approximately five hundred worshippers in both the nave and the aisles which are separated from one another by two arcades of lancet arches. The entire building is lined with Oamaru stone with the exception of the rib vaulted ceilings in both the nave and aisles which have been plastered. In addition to the fenestration the interior of the cathedral is enlivened by the richly textured, largely non-figural, relief carving which was executed by English sculptor Louis John Godfrey and his sons Louis junior and Phillip. The Godfrey family was also responsible for the carving at Larnach's Castle (1872-5). Having begun work on the stonework in St Joseph's Cathedral in 1885, the three men were responsible for realising Petre's designs for church fittings such as the High Altar and the Baptismal Font, as well as for the abundant relief carving which adorns the interior and the exterior of the cathedral. The temporary sanctuary is lit by a circular window, set within the brick end wall, which is five metres in diameter and filled with cathedral glass supplied by Taylor & Oakley of Christchurch. Flanked by two sacristies and a nuns chapel, the sanctuary has been remodelled in recent times to make it more suitable for modern day church ritual. Within the main body of the cathedral features of note include the Eucharistic Shrine for private devotion, which centres upon the 1896 Memorial Altar to Bishop Moran designed by Petre, and the Stations of the Cross which were also executed by Franz Mayer & Co. The two statues on either side of the sanctuary were presented by Bishop Verdo, Patrick Moran's successor, and they represent the Sacred Heart and St Joseph. Like the Eucharistic Shrine, three confessionals are located in the northern aisle where they are inserted between the buttresses on the exterior wall.

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A copy of this report is available from the NZHPT Southern Region office Please note that entry on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rarangi Korero identifies only the heritage values of the property concerned, and should not be construed as advice on the state of the property, or as a comment of its soundness or safety, including in regard to earthquake risk, safety in the event of fire, or insanitary conditions. This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. This report includes the text from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration.