A panorama taken inside the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament (Christchurch Basilica) in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament - Christchurch visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Canterbury.

The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament is a Catholic church building in Christchurch, more commonly referred to simply as the 'Christchurch Basilica', the name used on many of the tourist maps of the city. Building on this basilica began in 1901 and was completed in 1905. The architect, Francis Petre, turned away from the usual Gothic style used in the ChristChurch Cathedral on Cathedral Square, and instead built a Renaissance style church, reminiscent of many basilicas in Rome.

Architectural elements of the church are taken or adapted from other famous churches throughout Christendom. The church has been likened to St Paul's Cathedral in London, but probably owes more to Benoit Haffreingue, responsible for the construction of Notre Dame cathedral in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, which is laid out in a very similar style.

The Christchurch Basilica has a Byzantine apse and the Italianate green copper-roofed dome is above the sanctuary, and not the cross section as it is in St Peter's Basilica in Rome. In Petre's opinion this added more drama to the high altar. The church is built of concrete and clad in limestone from Oamaru in Otago.

Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament
122 Barbadeos St , Christchurch, NZ, 8030