July update with Bishop Peter

There’s just something about icons. The Cathedral, as the icon of Christchurch, symbolises Christchurch and expresses a distinctive aspect of its history. Its wide recognition as the icon means no one thinks ‘Wellington’ or ‘Invercargil’ when they see it. It goes without saying that the Cathedral also symbolises the life of the church itself. As we refreshed the brand of our Reinstatement Project, the image we used remained the Cathedral, but this time with emphasis on the rose window as well as the bell tower.

The rose window in a sense is an icon within the icon. This famous window on the west end of the Cathedral is one of the most distinctive features of our Cathedral’s design in comparison to other cathedral in our country. It has a special link to famous cathedrals in Europe. The tower is also distinctive, its spire rising high on its magnificent base and dominating one side of the cathedral itself. That size means that large, loud bells can be placed again in the belfry of the tower.

We will know we have finished the reinstatement when we hear the bells again, ringing out over our central city for all to hear. That will be a great day in the history of our city. The bells ringing will be the heart of our city beating again. As far as I am concerned, that day cannot come soon enough!