Cathedral most significant decision in Chch history

university-of-canterbury

Sun Jul 28 2013 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Cathedral most significant decision in Chch history

Sunday, 28 July 2013, 12:14 pm
Press Release: University of Canterbury

Cathedral decision one of the most significant decisions in Christchurch’s history, says heritage expert

July 28, 2013

The failed legal battle to stop Christchurch's cathedral being demolished will go down as one of the most significant decisions in the city’s history, a University of Canterbury (UC) heritage researcher says.

Associate Professor Lyndon Fraser says regardless how people feel about the Cathedral, it implicates contested interpretations of the city’s past and competing visions for a rebuilt city.

``Historian Pierre Nora put it best when he termed heritage places like the Cathedral as lieux de memoire or sites that hold collective memories and act to maintain a sense of connection with our roots in the past.

``There is no doubt that for many people in Christchurch it was - and remains - a central touchstone or icon, whether viewed through a secular or religious lens. The Cathedral matters, for some, because it forms a part of their personal and collective identities.

``And, not surprisingly, given what we know about heritage debates elsewhere in the world, there is an enormous amount of emotion and partisanship involved in the debate over its future. That such a significant site has faced the threat of obliteration has understandably led to local efforts for preservation among a coalition of former politicians, heritage professionals and advocates, academics, clergy and interested citizens.

``For researchers like me at UC, it provides a unique opportunity to explore the intersections of heritage, politics and public memory on our doorstep.

``The symbolic status of the Cathedral – and, in particular, its spatial location at the very heart of the central city – evokes intense and often conflicting feelings for local residents.

``Our task is really to try to understand how the Cathedral matters for local people. We also need to ask whether these kinds of feelings are shared widely or whether they represent the views of a small but significant minority. What do young people think? How do those on the east side, recent migrants and so on see the Cathedral?

``There are also important critical and difficult questions that we should ask about the heritage values of the site. Whose heritage are we talking about here? For some of us, the Cathedral is a symbol of exclusion – and colonialism.

``We are no longer Anglican, English, Protestant or a distant outpost of the British Empire. We never felt comfortable inside its walls and believed that the fate of the damaged building ought to be decided by the Anglican Church. Others among us objected to the folly of rebuilding a faux neo-Gothic building or just found the old version plain ugly.

``As an historian, I can appreciate how the Cathedral has been considered precious by local people. I also recognise from my training that our ideas about heritage are intimately bound up with particular places and that this relationship is fundamental to our understanding and use of the past. In short, history and place matter.

``But it’s crucial to note that these interpretations are contested. My own feeling is that most Cantabrians recognise the end of the old Cathedral is inevitable. Perhaps it is time for us to move on and look for symbols that better represent who we are now. Workers continue to flood into the city from different parts of the world for the rebuild. Many will land up staying here.

“Our future then, and certainly that of our children, will be a far more diverse one – linguistically, religiously, culturally – than it has been previously,’’ Professor Fraser says.

ENDS

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

a.supporter:hover {background:#EC4438!important;} @media screen and (max-width: 480px) { #byline-block div.byline-block {padding-right:16px;}}

Using Scoop for work?

Scoop is free for personal use, but you’ll need a licence for work use. This is part of our Ethical Paywall and how we fund Scoop. Join today with plans starting from less than $3 per week, plus gain access to exclusive Pro features.

Join Pro Individual Find out more

Find more from University of Canterbury on InfoPages.