Cathedral of St. Andrews: Classically Gothic With an Island Vibe

In this installment of ‘Larger Than Life: Architecture Through the Ages,’ we study the juxtaposition of Gothic-inspired design and royal Hawaiian influences.

While many of the cut-stone arches, pillars, and windows of the Cathedral of St. Andrews were constructed in England and shipped to Oahu, the main walls were built with stone quarried on the Hawaiian island. While the exterior tower, open-passageway cloister, and overall design of the stone-block church is Gothic in style, its massive floor-to-eaves bronze and stained-glass entryway is contemporary, having been added in 1958. Al Opalchuk/Shutterstock

One mightn’t expect to find an imposing Gothic-style cathedral on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, but the Cathedral of St. Andrew in downtown Honolulu is complete with a bell tower, columns, and vaulting. While the Episcopal church is primarily classic in its design, the street names on and near where it is located—Queen Emma Square and King Street—provide a hint that its presentation and history evoke more than a copycat European ecclesiastical style.

In fact, it was because of Queen Emma, the wife of Hawaii’s ruling King Kamehameha IV from 1855 to his death in 1863, that the cathedral came to fruition. In 1862, both husband and wife were baptized into the Christian faith and began to raise funds to build a church. After her husband’s death, Queen Emma traveled to Europe to visit many churches and raise money for the Cathedral of St. Andrew’s construction. While in England, she obtained architectural plans from the London firm of Carpenter and Slater. On the plans was written the description: “simple cathedral of modified 12th century French Gothic architecture.”