On 2 March , Bishop Jones decided that the dome of the Cathedral would be removed after an inspection revealed another large earthquake could topple it completely . An engineer 's report showed that the Cathedral 's dome was forcing weight-bearing structures outwards and that another earthquake like the magnitude 6.3 on 22 February would topple the dome . The Bishop said that the removal of the dome would begin as soon as possible , but other work had to be completed and equipment assembled before work could begin . The removal of the dome would be done by cranes at a distance from the site because of the risk of collapse . The Bishop also said that no decisions would be made about the future of the building until a detailed engineering report was generated after the dome has been removed . Until the 22 February earthquake , Masses were being held at the Catholic Cathedral College assembly hall near the Cathedral , but the Bishop said he did not know where future services would be held . He said : " We do n't know anything , all we 're concerned about now is protecting human life . " On 5 March , the Minister of Earthquake Recovery , Gerry Brownlee , told a media briefing that if he had his way , most of Christchurch 's heritage buildings would be demolished but that he would like to see resources go into rebuilding the ChristChurch Cathedral , the Catholic Basilica , the Canterbury Provincial Chambers and the Christchurch Arts Centre – " but that 's it – There will be a few others perhaps , but those would be the most iconic buildings that Christchurch residents would want to see rebuilt . They wo n't be put back the way they were . They will need to have a great deal of strengthening put into them and it will be quite a long consideration as to how those things might be done . " After the June 2011 Christchurch earthquake , the dome of the Cathedral was removed . The outer copper dome was cut into segments and was finally removed on 26 July and the internal decorative dome was removed intact in August . The damaged rear of the Cathedral was demolished to a low level in October . Meanwhile , in August , Catholic Cathedral College was able to reoccupy its buildings
June 2011 Christchurch earthquake
June 2011 Christchurch earthquake
Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Christchurch