It was the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Christchurch and seat of the Bishop of Christchurch.

Designed by architect Francis Petre a New Zealand-born architect working out of Dunedin, some regard the cathedral to be the finest renaissance-style building in New Zealand.

Registered as a Category I heritage item by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.

It was an outstanding example of church architecture, and is regarded as Petre's best design.
Construction of a new cathedral began in 1901 opening on 12 February 1905 at a cost of £52,000, given all the funds had to be raised by way of donations and the size of the project it is remarkable that it was completed in just four years.
The Cathedral was built by Jamieson and Sons constructed of concrete sheathed in Oamaru limestone.

The Cathedral was closed after the 4 September 2010 Canterbury earthquake.
Following this the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake collapsed the two bell towers at the front of the building and caused the dome to become unstable. A statue of the Virgin Mary that was in church turned around a full 180 degrees during the February earthquake so that instead of facing into the Cathedral as before the quake, it could be seen facing outwards. It became a quake survival symbol after the about face as it looked out of a tower window over the battered city.

In August 2019 the Catholic Bishop of Christchurch, Paul Martin, announced that the church would be deconstructed.