These treasured buildings have been at the heart of the Dio Campus since 1910, when St Barnabas’ (originally the private chapel of Bishop Selwyn in the 1860s) was moved here from Bishop’s Court in Parnell to serve a school of just 27 students. The Chapel of our Glorified Lord followed in 1922. For generations, these chapels have been the setting for baptisms, weddings, farewells, and countless moments of quiet reflection.

In April 2024, we embarked on a major restoration and seismic upgrade to ensure these buildings would stand strong for the next century. What began as careful heritage restoration soon revealed hidden challenges – damage to the chancel arch, foundations, and the need for extensive strengthening. The work has been painstaking: propping and repairing the internal arch, uplifting and numbering each kauri floorboard for safe storage, relaying and reinforcing foundations, adding steel beams, and protecting every heritage feature.

There have been carefully restored elements in St Barnabas where reclaimed Kauri from other similarly aged buildings has been used to craft new finishes : such as the carved trefoil panels above the eastern lead light windows and fitted panels to hide service cables.  It has been quite the challenge to dove tail a seismic upgrade with all its modern-day structural elements together with the Heritage requirements of applying century old woodworking practices.

Throughout the project, we have been blessed with an extraordinary team of builders, designers, engineers, and heritage experts, each committed to preserving and enhancing the unique character of our chapels. It has been a huge undertaking, but also a rare, once-in-a-generation opportunity to restore every detail, from the stained-glass windows to the polished timber floors.  Simple elegant lighting will highlight the beautifully restored roof sarking and intricate carved rafters, and steel tension rods in St Barnabas are the only visible sign of the seismic strengthening with all the other steel hidden along the rafter line.

For some, the reopening later this year will be the first time they’ve stepped inside. For others, it will feel like coming home to a place that has held the school’s spiritual heart for over a century. We look forward to welcoming you back, and to filling these sacred spaces once again with the life and love of our Dio community.