New Zealand Odyssey: Our Lady of the Snows, Franz Josef Glacier Township, Westland

'New Zealand Odyssey', published in 1989 by Heinemann, was authored by me, Don Donovan (who did the text and illustrations) and Euan Sarginson, who did the photography and design. In this series of blog posts, I will publish some of my drawings.

This, in 1989, was the first painting I ever did of this church. I did another, later, which appeared in my book Country Churches of New Zealand.

Our Lady of the Snows is designed like a Swiss church with a steep-pitched roof to shed snow. Having been dedicated, opened and blessed on 23 December 1951 it's not old, but it is different. Small and intimate, it has the atmosphere of an appropriate place in which to consign one's fate to one's maker before taking to the mountains.

In the porch are two St. Bernard windows, one depicts crossed skis and a shield containing a loaf of bread and a flask of brandy, the other has a ski pole and ice pick crossed, and a coiled rope.

© DON DONOVAN
donovan@ihug.co.nz
.

Country Churches of NZ 135. Our Lady of the Snows, Franz Josef

I wrote and illustrated Country Churches of New Zealand. It was published in 2002 by New Holland, Publishers and is still on sale in bookshops. The publishers have kindly agreed to me re-publishing some of the book’s images and descriptions in this blog.

OUR LADY OF THE SNOWS, FRANZ JOSEF

Our Lady of the Snows, Franz Josef, is designed like a Swiss church with a steep-pitched roof to shed snow.

Having been dedicated, opened and blessed on 23 December 1951 it's not old, but it is different. Small and intimate, it has the atmosphere of an appropriate place in which to consign one's fate to one's maker before taking to the mountains.

In the porch are two St. Bernard windows, one depicts crossed skis and a shield containing a loaf of bread and a flask of brandy, the other has a ski pole and ice pick crossed, and a coiled rope.

© DON DONOVAN
donovan@ihug.co.nz
. 

Country Churches of NZ 134. St. James's, Franz Josef, Westland

I wrote and illustrated Country Churches of New Zealand. It was published in 2002 by New Holland, Publishers and is still on sale in bookshops. The publishers have kindly agreed to me re-publishing some of the book’s images and descriptions in this blog.

ST JAMES'S, FRANZ JOSEF

St. James's, viewed from across the glacier-fed Waiho River is a perfect example of the axiom 'Man proposes, God disposes' for when it was built, the sanctuary window, by design, framed the terminus of the Franz Josef glacier. But the ice disappeared from view in 1953, with a brief return in 1994, after which it once again receded and hasn't been seen from the window since.

Nevertheless, it is an admirable church. Vaguely Tudor in its board and batten stripes, it was designed by Turnbull & Pule of Timaru and built by Bullock & Stewart. The foundation stone was laid by the Governor General of the time, Lord Bledisloe, in 1931.

© DON DONOVAN
donovan@ihug.co.nz
.