Cultural Significance

This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1993. The following text is from the original Recommendation for Classification report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. Cultural/Social: St Mary's Convent Chapel has cultural significance because of its association with a religious teaching order (Sisters of Mercy) and its contribution to New Zealand education. It also demonstrates a distinctive way of life characteristic of religious community life. Spiritual: All religious orders set down regular periods for prayer and worship, therefore the chapel played a significant part in the everyday spiritual life of the sisters.

Historic Significance

Historical Significance or Value This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1993. The following text is from the original Recommendation for Classification report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. Historical: The arrival of the Sisters of Mercy in Christchurch took place during a period of steady consolidation in the Canterbury Catholic community under the leadership of Bishop Grimes. St Marys Parish School and Convent was established in Christchurch in 1894 under Mother Bernard Dixon.

Physical Significance

This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1993. The following text is from the original Recommendation for Classification report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. Aesthetic: The design of St Mary's Convent Chapel presents a clear and competent expression of ecclesiologist principles. The interior is notable for containing a set of Birmingham-made stained glass windows. Architectural: The church architecture of the Luttrell brothers is well known for its high quality. The design of the convent chapel is a well resolved essay in Early English Gothic, employing traditional materials on the exterior.

Detail Of Assessed Criteria

This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1993. The following text is from the original Recommendation for Classification report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration. a) the extent to which the place reflects important or representative aspects of New Zealand history: The chapel, a remnant of the St Mary's Convent, is representative of the endeavours of an order of Roman Catholic nuns, the Sisters of Mercy, who for more than 75 years ran a teaching establishment on the site. During that time the chapel would have represented the spiritual heart of the order's local operations. b) the association of the place with events, persons or ideas of importance in New Zealand history: The chapel is a reminder of the former convent. It has an association with Roman Catholicism in-New Zealand, a specific order (the Sisters of Mercy) and more generally with education, religion, women and welfare history. The degree of the significance is strictly local. e) the community association with, or public esteem for, the place: St Mary's College was concerned with the education of girls for 75 years, and in this respect the place was held in regard by the St Mary's Old Girls' Association. South of the chapel the retirement village of Maryville Courts is occupied by many retired people who signed a petition to save the convent complex. f) the potential of the place for public education: The potential for St Mary's Convent Chapel to provide public education must be considered to be limited, now that the associated school and convent buildings have been demolished. However, as an essential part of a religious school community, it can be seen to have some value on its own as an expression of the values and spiritual discipline expected in a convent school. g) the technical accomplishment or value, or design of the place: The St Mary's Convent Chapel was the first of six churches designed by the Luttrell brothers for the Catholic church. The chapel is a model example of the application of the precepts of the Ecclesiologists to church architecture, and is designed in Early English 13th Century Gothic. It is constructed of Oamaru stone and Hoon Hay basalt. The building shows a clear exterior expression of the sanctuary, nave, choir loft and entrance in the different roof levels and wheel window, while inside the high quality of the Hammerbeam roof can be seen. The external polychromy follows Ecclesiological principles, where structural elements in Oamaru stone are contrasted with the Hoon Hay basalt of the walls. St Mary's chapel is a relatively small and simple church but is distinguished by stained glass windows made by an English firm of which the set in St Mary's is claimed to be the only one in Christchurch. The windows, by the Birmingham firm of John Hardman & Son contribute a degree of rarity to the architectural quality of the chapel. Conclusion St Mary's chapel, is recommended for registration as a Category II as a place of historical and cultural heritage significance and value. It is a well resolved example of Early English Gothic style architecture and is representative of the way of life led by a religious teaching order who resided, worshipped and educated on the site for 75 years.