St. Paul's Cathedral, Dunedin

Last updated February 23, 2019

St Paul's Cathedral is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Dunedin in New Zealand and the seat of the Bishop of Dunedin.

The Diocese of Dunedin is one of the thirteen dioceses and hui amorangi of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. The diocese covers the same area as the provinces of Otago and Southland in the South Island of New Zealand. Area 65,990 km², population 272,541 (2001). Anglicans are traditionally the third largest religious group in Otago and Southland after Presbyterians and Roman Catholics.

New Zealand is a sovereign island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses—the North Island, and the South Island —and around 600 smaller islands. New Zealand is situated some 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the Pacific island areas of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. Because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans. During its long period of isolation, New Zealand developed a distinct biodiversity of animal, fungal, and plant life. The country's varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks, such as the Southern Alps, owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions. New Zealand's capital city is Wellington, while its most populous city is Auckland.

Location

The Cathedral Church of St Paul occupies a site in the heart of The Octagon near the Dunedin Town Hall and hence Dunedin. The land for St Paul's Church was given by the sealer and whaler Johnny Jones of Waikouaiti.

The Octagon is the city centre of Dunedin, in the South Island of New Zealand. It is an eight-sided plaza with a circular one-way carriageway, bisected by the city's main street, and is also the central terminus of two other main thoroughfares. The Octagon is predominantly a pedestrian reserve, with grass and paved features, and is surmounted by a statue of the Scottish poet Robert Burns. Several of Dunedin's significant buildings and institutions adjoin the plaza, which is also a major hub for public transport in Dunedin.

The Dunedin Town Hall is a municipal building in the city of Dunedin in New Zealand. It is located in the heart of the city extending from The Octagon, the central plaza, to Moray Place through a whole city block. It is the seat of the Dunedin City Council, providing its formal meeting chamber, as well as a large auditorium and a conference centre. The oldest part of the building has been called the only substantial Victorian town hall still in existence in New Zealand.

Waikouaiti is a small town in East Otago, New Zealand, within the city limits of Dunedin. The town is close to the coast and the mouth of the Waikouaiti River.

History

The first parish church of St Paul was built on the site from 1862 to 1863. It was made of Caversham stone and could accommodate up to 500 people. It was not, however, well constructed. The stone weathered badly and the tall spire was removed after just a few years. The man consecrated to be the first Bishop of Dunedin, but never enthroned, Bishop Henry Jenner, visited the diocese in 1869. He officiated at St Paul’s and gave a lecture on church music illustrated by the St Paul’s choir. He is remembered as the composer of the hymn tune "Quam dilecta".

Paul the Apostle, commonly known as Saint Paul and also known by his Jewish name Saul of Tarsus, was an apostle who taught the gospel of Christ to the first-century world. Paul is generally considered one of the most important figures of the Apostolic Age and in the mid-30s to the mid-50s AD he founded several churches in Asia Minor and Europe. He took advantage of his status as both a Jew and a Roman citizen to minister to both Jewish and Roman audiences.

Henry Lascelles Jenner, DD was a nineteenth century Anglican bishop.

Hymn tune the melody of a musical composition to which a hymn text is sung

A hymn tune is the melody of a musical composition to which a hymn text is sung. Musically speaking, a hymn is generally understood to have four-part harmony, a fast harmonic rhythm, and no refrain or chorus.

In 1871 Samuel Tarratt Nevill was elected as Bishop of Dunedin. Initially he made no mention of the need for a cathedral for the diocese and it was not until the 1876 synod that he broached the subject. The issue was avoided by forming a commission to investigate the whole matter. The commission later recommended that St Paul’s should become the mother church. However, Nevill favoured St. Matthew's Church, Dunedin, and the impasse remained. In the early 1880s the question was revisited and again no resolution was reached. However, in 1894, 18 years after the issue was first raised, all sides agreed to the proposal for St Paul’s to become the cathedral. The cathedral chapter was formed and took up the responsibility for running the cathedral from 1895. Thomas Whitelock Kempthorne of Kempthorne Prosser Ltd was a generous supporter of the cathedral and a memorial stands inside.

A synod is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word synod comes from the Greek σύνοδος (sýnodos) meaning "assembly" or "meeting", and it is synonymous with the Latin word concilium meaning "council". Originally, synods were meetings of bishops, and the word is still used in that sense in Catholicism, Oriental Orthodoxy and Eastern Orthodoxy. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not. It is also sometimes used to refer to a church that is governed by a synod.

St. Matthew's Church is an inner-city Anglican parish church, located on the City Rise in Dunedin, New Zealand. Designed by William Mason (1810-1897) the foundation stone was laid on 11 July 1873 and the building was consecrated on 3 December 1874. It cost 4,874 pounds to construct which wasn't paid off until 1901. It comfortably seated 750 people.

A chapter is one of several bodies of clergy in Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Nordic Lutheran churches or their gatherings.

Building a new cathedral

In 1904, William Harrop, a prominent Dunedin businessman, died and left the bulk of his estate to fund a new cathedral. However, release of the money was conditional on the chapter raising £20,000 towards the cost of the building. Nevill threw himself into the effort, but it was not until 1913 that the £20,000 was raised and work could begin. The first in a series of plans and modifications were submitted by Sedding and Wheatly, an architectural company based in England. The author of the final design was Edmund Harold Sedding (1863–1921). The supervising architect in Dunedin was Basil Hooper (1876–1960).

Edmund Harold Sedding, often referred to as E. H. Sedding, was an English architect who practised in Devon and Cornwall.

On 8 June 1915, the foundation stone of the new cathedral was laid. Huge foundations, large piers and a tremendous vaulted ceiling, the only one in stone in New Zealand, rose from the ground, forming the new cathedral’s nave. Lack of finances, however, precluded construction of anything more. There was no money for the crossing or the chancel as originally intended. In the end it was resolved that a temporary chancel should be constructed using material saved from the old St Paul’s. The new cathedral was consecrated by Bishop Nevill on 12 February 1919.

Chancel space around the altar of a traditional Christian church

In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary, at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. It is generally the area used by the clergy and choir during worship, while the congregation is in the nave. Direct access may be provided by a priest's door, usually on the south side of the church. This is one definition, sometimes called the "strict" one; in practice in churches where the eastern end contains other elements such as an ambulatory and side chapels, these are also often counted as part of the chancel, especially when discussing architecture. In smaller churches, where the altar is backed by the outside east wall and there is no distinct choir, the chancel and sanctuary may be the same area. In churches with a retroquire area behind the altar, this may only be included in the broader definition of chancel.

1930s

Social work featured prominently at this time, with the synodsmen, vestry and church leaders all publicly opposed to the government’s Depression policies. The Cathedral administered a food bank and distributed food parcels for the citizens of Dunedin. Shortly after the Second World War, St Paul's suffered the loss of Dean Cruickshank, who moved to the Diocese of Waiapu, and of Victor Galway. The latter, an organist and professor of music, had been very popular, attracting large crowds to his recitals and performances. He had also regularly broadcast his productions, paving the way for services to be aired on radio.

New chancel

In the 1950s the vestry made the important, though difficult, decision that it wouldn't complete the cathedral to its original design. The dean suggested that ways be examined to link an extension to the existing structure, and the vestry agreed to investigate the possibilities. In 1966, the decision was made to build a new chancel. The plans had been drawn by Ted McCoy of the firm McCoy and Wixon. Construction began in earnest in December 1969. The old chancel was stripped and demolished and new columns began to rise from the debris. Construction and clearing up finished on Saturday 24 July 1971, and the Cathedral reopened the next day.

The new chancel was modernist, as high as the existing vault, with tall windows reaching from the floor almost to the ceiling. The altar was free standing and the furnishings matched the walls. Features of the new sanctuary were the free standing altar, (unusual for the time), clear glass windows, specially designed candle sticks, a Laudian altar front and a perspex cross containing stripes of the liturgical colours.

The sanctuary was re-ordered in 2003 with the altar moved forward into the nave.

In 2004, the perspex cross was moved temporarily (and initially) to the crypt to accommodate a production of the bi-annual Otago Festival of the Arts. Finally, a decision was reached by the then Dean Trevor James to restore the perspex cross to the sanctuary, and it was returned to its position at the end of 2009.

Clergy

Deans

1st Alfred Fitchett (1895–1929; whilst he continued as vicar of All Saints' Church, Dunedin )
2nd George Cruickshank (1932–1944, Bishop of Waiapu 1945–1946)
3rd Alfred Button (1945–1950)
4th Percival Ernest James (1950–1955, Dean Emeritus 1955)
5th Walter Hurst (1956–1963)
6th Peter Sutton (1964–1965, Bishop of Nelson 1965–1990)
7th Tim Raphael (1965–1973, Archdeacon of Middlesex −1996)
8th Robert Mills (1973–1991)
9th Warren Limbrick (1991–1996)
10th Jonathan Kirkpatrick (1996–2001)
11th David Rice (2002–2008, Bishop of Waiapu 2008–present)
12th Trevor James (15 March 2009 – 2018)^[1]

Consecration of a woman as bishop

In 1989, St Paul's received attention when Penny Jamieson was consecrated and enthroned as Bishop of Dunedin. Jamieson was only the second woman ordained as a bishop in the Anglican Communion and the communion's first woman to become a diocesan bishop.^[2] Her appointment had been paved by the work of two cathedral women; Claire Brown, assistant priest at St Paul's from 1985 to 1989 and again from 2006 to the present, and Barbara Nicholas, honorary priest assistant.

New millennium

As the world prepared for the change from 1999 to 2000, St Paul's invited people gathered to celebrate in the Octagon to come into the cathedral, have a moment of silence, light a candle and pray for the new year and the millennium. Over the course of a couple of hours thousands came in and lit a candle. People placed their candles in sand arranged in the shapes of alpha and omega in the chancel, reminding those present that Christ is the beginning and the end.

Music

Choir

St Paul’s Cathedral has a notable history of church music and the choir is known for its high performance standards and wide repertoire. Over the last two decades at least eight of its members have pursued professional vocal careers, singing in British cathedral choirs (recent former members currently hold appointments at Ely, Salisbury and St George’s Windsor). Several others – most recently Anna Leese - have gone on to international careers in opera. The choir has also contributed many members to the New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir, the National Youth Choir and Voices NZ.

The primary focus of the Cathedral Choir is to facilitate worship through its musical leadership, alongside the wider role of outreach within the diocese and beyond. The Cathedral Choir is an auditioned choir, with 22 singers. It sings three times per week during the choir season (Candlemas to Christmas Day), and offers many other musical events, such as concerts and tours, throughout the year. The choir has featured on broadcasts for Radio New Zealand alongside recordings for both national and local television. The choir sings a challenging repertoire from early plainsong to the work of contemporary composers. The Cathedral Choir, and all music at St Paul’s Cathedral, is run by the Director of Music, George Chittenden.

Organ

St Paul's Cathedral's organ was built in 1919 by Henry Willis III in London and was installed the following year. In 1972, it was entirely dismantled and repositioned by the South Island Organ Company of Timaru. There are four manuals — great, swell, choir and solo. The organ has more than 3500 pipes and is often used for civic performances.

Specifications

Great Organ
Double Diapason 16'
Open Diapason I 8'
Open Diapason II 8'
Claribel Flute 8’
Principal 4'
Flute Ouverte 4’
Twelfth 2²⁄₃'
Fifteenth 2'
Mixture 19:22:26
Tromba 8'
Clarion 4'
Swell to Great
Choir to Great
Solo to Great
Pedal to Gt Pistons coupler
Swell Organ
Lieblich Bourdon 16'
Geigen Diapason 8'
Rohr Flute 8' Aeoline 8'
Viole Celeste 8'
Octave Geigen 4'
Lieblich Flute 4'
Flageolet 2'
Larigot 1¹⁄₃'
Mixture 22:26:29
Double Trumpet 16'
Trumpet 8'
Hautboy 8'
Clarion 4'
Tremulant
Sub-octave
Super-octave
Unison off
Pedal to Swell Piston coupler
Choir Organ
Open Diapason 8'
Chimney Flute 8'
Viola da Gamba 8'
Dulciana 8'
Spitz Flute 4'
Nazard 2²⁄₃'
Block Flute 2'
Tierce 1³⁄₅'
Cymbel 33:36:40
Krumhorn 8'
Schalmey 4'
Tuba (from Solo) 8'
Sub-octave
Super-octave
Unison off
Solo to Choir
Swell to Choir
Solo Organ
Tibia 8'
Flauto Traverso 8'
Viole d'Orchestre 8'
Concert Flute 4'
Harmonic Piccolo 2'
Bass Clarinet 16'
Cor Anglais 8'
Tuba 8'
Tremulant
Solo Octave
Solo Sub-octave
Solo Unison off
Pedal Organ
Resultant Bass 32'
Open Wood 16'
Open Diapason 16'
Open Metal (from Great) 16'
Bourdon 16'
Echo Bass (from Swell) 16'
Quint 10²⁄₃'
Octave 8'
Flute 8'
Super Octave 4'
Spitz Flute 4'
Mixture 15:19:22
Trombone (from Tuba) 16'
Double Trumpet (Swell) 16'
Posaune (from Tuba) 8'
Clarion (from Tuba) 4'
Swell to Pedal
Great to Pedal
Choir to Pedal
Solo to Pedal
Thumb Pistons
7 to Swell
7 to Great
7 to Choir
5 to Solo
Swell to Pedal on/off
Great to Pedal on/off
Choir to Pedal on/off
Swell to Great on/off
Solo to Pedal on/off
Solo to Great on/off
General Cancel on/off
Toe Pistons
7 Duplicating Swell
7 to Pedal
Swell to Great on/off
Great to Pedal on/off
Pedal Trombone on/off
Full Organ on/off
Balanced mechanical
expression pedals to:
Swell Organ
Solo Organ
Compass:
Manuals C to c4= 61 notes
Pedals C to g = 32 notes

Gallery

Stained glass window
Exterior view
Exterior sculpture
Interior
St Paul's Cathedral and Dunedin Town Hall in winter

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References

↑ "New Dean installed at St Paul's Cathedral". Otago Daily Times. 16 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
↑ Macbrayne, Rosaleen (7 June 2004). "Queen's Birthday Honours: Right Rev Dr Penny Jamieson". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 13 November 2011.

External links

St Paul's Cathedral website

Coordinates: 45°52′25″S170°30′09″E / 45.87361°S 170.502539°E / -45.87361; 170.502539

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[1] "New Dean installed at St Paul's Cathedral". Otago Daily Times. 16 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-15.

[NZ_Herald_3570953-2] Macbrayne, Rosaleen (7 June 2004). "Queen's Birthday Honours: Right Rev Dr Penny Jamieson". The New Zealand Herald . Retrieved 13 November 2011.