In January, the Dean and Chapter of Christ Church Cathedral in New Zealand received a unique gift steeped in history and symbolic significance: a segment of a stone-pillar made from Jerusalem limestone whose matching counterpart is embedded in the fabric of St Paul’s Cathedral Melbourne. This remarkable gift has travelled across two continents to find a new home in the heart of Christchurch.
In 2006 the round Jerusalem stone, measuring 23 cm in diameter and 6.5 cm in height, was gifted to the Dean of Melbourne, The Very Revd Dr Andreas Loewe, by the thirteenth Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem, The Rt Revd Riah Abu-el Assal. Said to have originated from renovations of the dome of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem from 1994-97, it had been intended for use as an altar stone in a newly-founded Anglican Church.
However, the stone’s journey took a different path. During Melbourne’s extended Covid lockdown in 2020, it found a new purpose. In a careful operation, the stone was sliced in half by Cathedral craftsman Janusz Kuszbicki. One half of the stone was inscribed by Kuszbicki with a Jerusalem cross and the words, ‘Coronat te in misericordia et miserationibus’ (‘He crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercy’, Psalm 103.4). On the Feast of St Peter and St Paul, the inscribed stone was placed in the altar platform of St Paul’s Cathedral Melbourne (pictured above).
Now the second segment of this special stone has been gifted to the Dean and Chapter of Christ Church Cathedral to be placed into their historic place of worship. As he presented the stone to the Dean of Christchurch, the Very Revd Ben Truman on 21 January, Dean Andreas said: ‘We gift this stone to the Dean and Chapter of Christ Church Cathedral New Zealand, as a sign of our unity in Christ, and our shared ministry as Anglican Cathedrals to proclaim the message of the cross and resurrection’.
“Our Bishop and Chapter were absolutely stunned by this generous gift from Dean Andreas. We look forward to the day when we can place our part of the stone in the altar platform as a tangible reminder of unity with the people of Melbourne, the people of Jerusalem, and indeed the Good News of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the meantime I have the stone sitting in pride-of-place in my office to remind me of fond memories from my time at St Paul’s, and a reminder to continue to hold your congregation in prayer.”
Dean Ben Truman
Christ Church Cathedral, with its iconic spire, has been undergoing extensive restoration efforts since the devastating earthquakes of spring and summer 2010-11. It is hoped that the Jerusalem stone, with its own rich history and its connection to the place of the resurrection, will serve as a physical reminder of the Christian Good News: that Christ’s resurrection brings new life from death.