Church of the Good Shepherd (NZ) from the Inanimate Architecture Series

About Church of the Good Shepherd (New Zealand)
Situated on the shores of Lake Takapo in the South Island, the Church of the Good Shepherd is one of New Zealand’s most photographed buildings.
It was Built in 1935 to commemorate the original pioneers of the Mackenzie Country, who arrived after Māori had been established in the area. It was instructed that the Matagouri bushes surrounding the site were to remain and that the stones for the wall were to be procured from within a radius of five miles - unchipped and in their natural condition. A concrete cross, symbolic of Christianity, was placed on the northern gable. Inside the church, a representation of the Good Shepherd is carved on the altar, and alpine flora and fauna are carved on the Oamaru stone front. Oak was chosen as the wood for a number of fittings in the church to symbolise the links between the Mackenzie Basin sheep herders and their British forbears.
Adjoining land was also gifted so that the church remained in splendid isolation - protecting it from ever being usurped by future development.
These symbols of land and religion combined with the Church of the Good Shepherd's position in the midst of an almost sacred natural beauty, have enraptured visitors ever since it was built and provides a place of worship for local residents.

Fused Glass
Size 22cm (h) x 21cm (w) x 3cm (d)