Image Hunter

By imagehunter

WAIMATE CATHOLIC BASILICA

The Engineer and I have been down to Waimate (aprox 200 K south of Christchurch) on business. Wet and cold all the way with fresh snow down onto the foothills Not a good day for photography so I have blipped another old historic building.
ST PATRICK'S BASILICA WAIMATE
Waimate has a fine Catholic church, but one that needs urgent attention. On driving into Waimate, via the main northern entrance, one of the first sights to catch the eye is the local Catholic church. St Patrick's Basilica is an imposing feature of the Waimate landscape, sedately perched on a rise that overlooks the township and farming hinterland. Perhaps not quite in the realms of "a pinnacle of beauty", this architecturally impressive spiritual home for the local Catholic community, "St Pats", has provided an attractive landmark to all and sundry associated with Waimate for the past 95 years. The Lombard-Romanesque structure is classified Category 1 by the NZ Historic Places Trust and carries a Category A Heritage Building classification in the Waimate District Council Plan. Recognition of the church's national architectural importance has added impetus to the restoration project now being organised by parishioners. The architect responsible, Francis William Petre, has been described as New Zealand's most significant neo- classical architect.

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