Parish History

Before the Cathedral . . .

There were several places of worship used by the people of Parnell before the Cathedral was built. The Parnell Parish of St Mary was formed in 1860 by Bishop G.A. Selwyn, and the present St Mary's Church was established as an interim Cathedral Church by Bishop Cowie

Old St Paul's Church

Situated at the top of Emily Place, this impressive church served all of Auckland from 1841, before Bishop Selwyn began his building programme. Old St Paul's was demolished in 1884, and replaced with St Paul's Church in Symonds Street.

Click here for more details and pictures.

St Barnabas' Church

As the Parnell District grew, the people who lived there decided to erect their own church, having become increasingly disenchanted with walking rough tracks over steep hills to get to St Paul's.

Consecrated in 1849, St Barnabas' now forms a substantial part of the parish church of Mt Eden. Click here for more details and pictures.

St Stephen's Chapel

In 1844 Bishop Selwyn built a small stone chapel which fell during a storm in 1847. In 1857 the present Chapel was built, and continues in use today.

Chapel pictures and story are found hereor through the links above.

Old St Mary's

Built in 1860 as an enlarged successor to St Barnabas', St Mary's was built approximately where Cathedral Close now occupies, slightly to the south of where the present Cathedral stands, .

Click here for more details and pictures.

St Mary's Cathedral Church

This beautiful building, considered one of the largest wooden Gothic
buildings in the world, was built between 1884 and 1897. Bishop Cowie elected to call it the Cathedral Church of Auckland, though it was known from 1843 that Bishop Selwyn had bought the land where the Cathedral now stands for a Cathedral to be named "Holy Trinity". Click here, or on the links at above, to tour St Mary's

And then to the Cathedral . . .

Click here to visit the Cathedral.