Our Lady of Lourdes (Kāpiti Coast)

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Coordinates: 40°55′02″S 175°00′39″E / 40.91728°S 175.01087°E / -40.91728; 175.01087
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Our Lady of Lourdes
ArtistMartin Roestenberg
Year1958
Dimensions14 m (46 ft)
LocationParaparaumu, Kāpiti Coast
Coordinates40°55′02″S 175°00′39″E / 40.91728°S 175.01087°E / -40.91728; 175.01087

Our Lady of Lourdes is an outdoor statue of the Virgin Mary, located in Paraparaumu, New Zealand. It was built by Dutch artist Martin Roestenberg in 1958 after being commissioned by Catholic parish priest Father J.S. Dunn to mark the 100th anniversary of the apparition of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes. It is 14 metres tall,[1][2] and was designed to last only three months.

The statue has a crown of 17 lights that give the appearance of a halo at night, which is visible for kilometres.[2] It is hollow, made of wood,[3] plaster and fibreglass.

There is a parish and a school named after the statue, both called Our Lady of Kapiti.

History[edit]

The current statue was the second attempt at building one, as the first fell over due to wind.[4] According to a later report, the current monument was designed to last only three months.[4] The head, which is two metres tall, was moulded at the artist's home in Taihape. It was then lowered by crane onto scaffolding, and the statue was then built from the head downwards.[2] There was no road on the hill when it was constructed.[5]

The statue was completed in August 1958.[2] This event was celebrated with a march in the streets of Paraparaumu, which commenced on 19 October 1958. It included six thousand nuns, priests and Catholic worshipers. The Archbishop of Wellington, Peter McKeefry, blessed the statue with holy water.[5] The statue was defaced with a coal tar oil in 1959.[5] In 1971 repairs to the plaster were made after it had started cracking.[4] In order to protect it from weather and vandalism, several layers of fibreglass were eventually added to the statue.[2] A shop under the statue opened in 1981, but it closed in 2010 due to competition from Trade Me.[5]

On Our Lady of Lourdes' 50th anniversary in 2008, 600 Aucklanders spent the night on the hill of the statue.[5] In 2009 it was reported that the statue was leaning over, and it was found that the hardwood posts supporting it had rotted; they were replaced with tanalised timber, and four concrete piles were also added. Ten years earlier, a crack at the base of the statue had been found.[4] In 2017, 500 pilgrims visited Our Lady of Lourdes.[6]

Parish and school[edit]

In 2014 two local parishes (St Patrick’s, Paraparaumu and Our Lady of Fatima, Waikanae) merged to form Our Lady of Kāpiti Parish, named after the statue.[7] Both churches were earthquake risks, and the decision was taken to build a new church and school on a central site.[7]

The school, named Our Lady of Kapiti School opened in 2017.[8] It was jointly funded by the Archdiocese of Wellington and the New Zealand Government.[8]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Our Lady of Lourdes (Paraparaumu, N.Z.)". natlib.govt.nz. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e Kāpiti Coast District Council. "Our Lady of Lourdes". www.kapiticoast.govt.nz. Archived from the original on 24 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  3. ^ "Kia ora: Paraparaumu". NZ Herald. 10 August 2023. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d Walker, Randall (28 September 2009). "Statue of Mary has a lean on". Stuff. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e O'Neil, Andrea (24 May 2015). "150 years of news - Miracle virgin statue dominates Paraparaumu". Stuff. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  6. ^ "The great walk to Paraparaumu". NZ Herald. 10 August 2023. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  7. ^ a b "New Our Lady of Kāpiti church and centre opened". NZ Catholic Newspaper. 25 June 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  8. ^ a b Poulopoulos, Adam (2 February 2017). "Our Lady of Kapiti School to open in Paraparaumu for new school year". Stuff. Retrieved 24 August 2023.

External links[edit]

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