The new facilities will replace the ones destroyed by the Christchurch earthquake.

"This is a very big act of faith, because the insurance will only cover a third of the cost," says Sister Dominica Cooper, the order's Melbourne-based regional superior. She hopes a fundraising appeal will help reduce the shortfall.

"But we believe we will get there. This is something coming out of the rubble; something like this gives a sense of hope and we need that in Christchurch. Nazareth House will rise again."

The Nazareth House name dates from the order's early 1900s orphanage and later rest home, rebuilt in the 1980s behind the original three-storey complex.

The chapel will reuse artefacts salvaged from its predecessor, including a marble altar and stained glass windows.

Resource consent applications for the retirement units go in in August, and the first residents could be in by March. The staged development is due for completion in three years.

The sisters hope to start building in October.

The complex will be run by Nazareth Care, the operating arm of the Sisters of Nazareth, and will be open to people of any faith.

Source

• Stuff.co.nz
• Image: Stuff.co.nz

King saved the Nazareth roof when he demolished the chapel last year.

He says the ceiling, made of rimu, is the equal of the ceiling in the Arts Centre's Great Hall and Christ Church Cathedral.

It's 23.5 metres long, 10m wide and weighs about 30.1 tonnes, including the slate roof tiles.

The eight carved trusses could be worth $200,000, according to a truss maker he consulted.

King, who operates Graceworks Demolition and Recycling in Kaiapoi which specialises in church salvage and demolition, hoped the Nazareth ceiling and roof could be incorporated into an earthquake memorial.

He even had concept drawings prepared, but said the Christchurch City Council and the Historic Places Trust were "not interested in funding restoration of the church away from its site".

Other potential buyers fell away, King's demolition contract with Nazareth House ended and he couldn't leave the roof in Sydenham.

He dismantled the roof and it rests in pieces in his Kaiapoi yard.

"I'd sell it if the right amount came in," he said, but he would not consider selling components or for its timber value.

Source

• Stuff.co.nz
• Image: Historic Places Trust