Bodies of three bishops disinterred
The bodies of three bishops buried under the largely demolished Catholic cathedral in Christchurch have been disinterred and moved to a temporary mausoleum in a monastery.
Bishop John Grimes, who was the city’s first Catholic bishop and died in 1915, Bishop Edward Joyce, who died in 1964, and Bishop John Cunneen, who died in 2010, were disinterred from the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament on Barbadoes St last month.
Catholic diocese general manager Andy Docherty said the three were now stored in a ‘‘temporary mausoleum at the Carmelite monastery on Halswell Rd’’.
‘‘The disinterment went as planned with no surprises. The next of kin were consulted and engaged where possible,’’ he said.
The bodies would eventually be moved and reburied in a new Catholic cathedral planned for the corner of Colombo and Armagh streets, he said.
Archbishop Paul Martin led a ceremony held when the bodies were disinterred over three days from May 12 till 14.
The disinterment was managed by John Rhind Funeral Directors, which removed the bodies ‘‘carefully and respectfully, by hand’’, Docherty said.
Martin announced in 2019 that he wanted to demolish the cathedral, which was completed in 1905 and was badly damaged in the 2011 Canterbury earthquakes.
The building, which is now largely demolished, was taken down under emergency earthquake powers, known as section 38 notices, granted to the Catholic church in August 2015.
Bishop Grimes became Christchurch’s first catholic bishop in 1887. He went on to commission the new cathedral and raise money around the world for its construction.
The online encyclopaedia Te Ara described it as ‘‘Grimes’s monument and one of the finest churches in Australasia’’.
Christchurch firm Warren and Mahoney Architects and United States firm Franck & Lohsen Architects were appointed last month to design the new $40 million cathedral on a block on Colombo St.
Franck & Lohsen, which will lead the design work, specialises in Catholic architecture with a traditional design and has built churches all over the world.