St Marys Catholic Church - A National Treasure

Location: Maxwell Road, Blenheim

St Mary's Catholic Church, which is a New Zealand Historic Places Trust  Category 1 building  has national significance as the oldest church still in use in Blenheim and as an important early example of the ecclesiastical architecture of Thomas Turnbull.

It has strong spiritual significance as a place of worship and as a continuing symbol of the strength of the Catholic Church in Blenheim.

It has international interest as evidence of the work of the French Marist missionaries and was built under the direction of the first missionary, Father Augustine Sauzeau.

St Mary's has technological value as an example of early construction methods used in timber churches and its spire is a landmark in the flat, urban area of Blenheim.