The Chapel

The Chapel of Futuna, Karori, Wellington

John Scott was asked to design a retreat chapel for this site in 1958. On presenting his proposal to the society of Mary, the response was ‘it’s a gazebo’. However, after numerous words of praise for the design from a number of renowned architects, the proposal was agreed upon, and work on site began shortly afterwards.

The Chapel commemorates the martyrdom of the St. Peter Chanel on the French Polynesian Island of Futuna, on 28 April, 1841. Futuna Chapel – a retreat centre – needed to be a place for silence and inner renewal.

Futuna Chapel is a brilliant essay in geometry, the use of materials and the relation of old to new. The plan is square, the roof ridge is a Greek cross connecting the central point with the middle of each side. The roofs between the arms of the cross form diagonal hips and valleys. All materials are treated as naturally as possible.

Futuna Chapel is a modernist building. It holds the geometrical and formal influences of the modern movement, but Scott was also intuitively sensitive to its place and context. The use of coloured glass by artist Jim Allen raises the building to one of great beauty when coloured light filters across the sacramental dais.

The building also gains from Scott’s Maori heritage. With its large centre pole, its sharply sloping eaves, and its modest, almost deferential entrance, the building has its antecedents on the marae and in Maori meeting houses. Its use as a place of contemplation, and the manner in which an appropriate atmosphere is achieved, further reflect a spiritual dimension influenced by the marae.

The Chapel was opened on 19 March 1961 .

The building was the recipient of the inaugural 25 Year Award from the New Zealand Institute of Architects.

The Christ Figure

Absent for 12 years, the recovered and restored Christ figure was returned to the empty cross in Futuna Chapel and unveiled on the annual Futuna Chapel Open Day on Sunday 17th March 2013.  The unveiling of the restored Christ figure by sculptor Jim Allen and Ema Scott was preceded by a bicultural blessing ceremony.

Recovering the statue had been a goal of the Futuna Trust since it was established in 2003 to celebrate, restore and maintain the chapel, which is regarded as one of New Zealand’s modern architectural masterpieces.

Although the chapel is no longer a consecrated church, the Christ figure was part of Scott’s original architectural vision for the chapel, and its recovery provides a sense of completeness in the restoration of the building. 

Shonagh Kenderdine, the patron of the Futuna Trust and Chair of the Historic Places Trust Board, said at the time it was replaced in the chapel: “The return of the Christ figure to Futuna has great spiritual, cultural and architectural significance for New Zealanders. The figure is the mauri (life-force) of the chapel. Te Hokinga Mai (the Returning) began today with the figure’s road journey from Taranaki to Wellington under the protection of the New Zealand Police, who have been so instrumental in its return.”

Jim Allen, who designed and carved the statue in 1961, expressed his delight at its rediscovery. “This is a red-letter day for all of us and brings to a close our endless speculation as to its whereabouts. I look forward to its re-installation and further confirmation of John Scott’s vision for the Futuna Chapel.”

The statue’s rediscovery came about through the network of the trust, its trustees and patron talking with people. A ceremony to welcome the statue back to its original home was held at the Futuna Chapel in 2012, before it was restored. There was a spirit of celebration, with the return welcomed by kaumatua and kaikaranga as well a priest from the Society of Mary, the original owners of the Chapel. It was an informal ritual of welcome and cleansing across faiths and cultures. After being lost in the wilderness for over a decade, this last significant artefact of John Scott’s original design was returned.

The costs of fabrication of new crown of thorns, new ‘fixing’ hardware, restoration of the Christ figure and its reinstallation was generously funded by John Scott’s original hardware merchants FL Bone of Hastings and Mark and Wendy McGuinness of Wellington.

More information:

  • Book: Futuna: Life of a Building, by Nick Bevin and Gregory O’Brien, Victoria University Press – can be purchased from our website.

John Scott’s works:

  • Website: John Scott: Architect, a tribute website to the architect of Futuna Chapel. The site profiles Scott’s major works as well as providing a comprehensive list of commissions and many photographs.
  • Book: David Strait’s John Scott: Works, a book of photographs of the architectural works of John Scott, published by Massey University Press.  Listen to a podcast where David Strait talks about his project here.
  • Article: Julia Gatley, ‘John Scott 1: Hawkes Bay Public Buildings‘: Itinerary No.23. Block: The Broadsheet of the Auckland Branch of the NZIA, 2009.

Jim Allen’s works: