The Chapel

The Nurses’ Memorial Chapel

The Christchurch Hospital Nurses’ Memorial Chapel was built during 1927 and 1928 and is located on the Christchurch Hospital site fronting Riccarton Avenue. Although twice threatened with demolition, the building’s future has been secured. The Chapel’s unique qualities create one of the finest spiritual spaces in Christchurch.

The chapel is of vital cultural importance. As far as can be ascertained, the only purpose-built, hospital chapel which commemorates nurses who died in the Great War, in the world.

The Memorial Chapel is a testament to New Zealand’s pioneering nurses and to the thousands of nurses who were called away to the battlefields during times of conflict.

This beautiful chapel, of great architectural and historic significance, has an extensively timbered interior with carvings by Frederick Gurnsey and Jake Vivian together with important stained glass windows by English artist Veronica Whall (1887-1967) and other works. It is New Zealand’s only memorial chapel to women who died in any war or the 1918 influenza epidemic.

Nurses

In addition it is;

New Zealand’s first hospital chapel;

A repository of memorials to local, national and internationally known medical men and women;

An architecturally significant building with a late Gothic Revival structure and Arts & Crafts Movement-inspired interior that incorporates significant works of art, including stained glass windows by Veronica Whall.

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