Project Name: The Chapel of St. Thérèse of Lisieux

Location: Lyttelton, New Zealand

Design Team: Bull O'Sullivan Architecture

Total Floor Area: 17 m²

Completion: 2025

Photography: Mary Gaudin

Lead Architect: Michael O'Sullivan

Feature: Perched on a hillside overlooking Lyttelton Harbour in New Zealand, the Chapel of St. Thérèse of Lisieux by Bull O'Sullivan Architecture reimagines sacred space through radical simplicity. At just 17 square metres, this intimate sanctuary celebrates "The Little Way," a philosophy of spiritual humility developed by its namesake, the Carmelite nun Thérèse of Lisieux. The Chapel was constructed in 2025 by Bull O'Sullivan Architecture as a gift to the people of Christchurch, serving as a private space open to the public daily for worship, reflection, and architectural engagement.

The chapel's modest scale belies its architectural ambition. Its exterior features custom-designed aluminium weatherboarding, a signature material used sparingly by the practice, which catches the coastal light while grounding the structure in its harbour setting. The most striking feature is the triangular entrance, a geometric meditation on the Trinity that transforms a theological concept into a ceremonial threshold, creating quite a ceremonial entry point. A small bench beside the door invites visitors to pause and remove their shoes, establishing a ritual of transition from the everyday to the sacred.

The chapel is oriented towards Ripapa Island in the Lyttelton Harbour, which has played many roles in New Zealand history, including serving as a goal housing some of New Zealand's most celebrated Māori prophets. This site orientation adds a profound layer of historical and cultural significance, connecting the sacred space to New Zealand's rich indigenous history.

Inside, the chapel becomes a vessel of deep time and place. The interior is lined with native rimu timber, sourced from a tree that spent 600 years submerged in a river in the deep southwest of the South Island and lived for a millennium before that. This material connection spans nearly 1,600 years of history, with the tree coming to fruition a few hundred years after Jesus Christ walked the planet. At the heart of the space, Jesus and the cross have been carved by New Zealand artist Johnny Hauraki from heart kauri timber beams rescued from an earthquake-damaged warehouse in the inner city of Christchurch. The intention was to represent Jesus at the threshold of Christianity, which is the beginning of the resurrection, explaining why one arm is down, signifying transformation rather than suffering.

The chocolate carpet is beautiful one-hundred percent New Zealand wool. The kneeler was made by Glenn Whatmough of the Smithery, and it too is constructed from heart Kauri. The chapel was blessed by the Catholic Bishop of Christchurch, Michael Gelling, on the first day of October 2024, which is the day of celebration of the life of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. This little space is dedicated to worship and prayer or simply showing gratitude. Open daily to the public, it serves as both a functioning place of worship and an architectural statement about the power of smallness, proving that profound spiritual and spatial experiences need not demand monumental scale.

Design Team: Bull O'Sullivan Architecture stands as one of New Zealand's most distinguished design practices, led by founding partners Andrew Bull and Michael O'Sullivan. The firm operates from dual offices in Auckland and Lyttelton, maintaining an unwavering commitment to quality that extends across residential, educational, public, and commercial projects regardless of scale.

The practice's design philosophy centers on the belief that built environments directly influence quality of life. This conviction manifests in meticulous attention to every element, from urban planning to door handles, reflecting the understanding that tactile details shape daily human experience. The practice believes the quality of a project is not necessarily related to how much it costs, but rather how wisely the resources of time and money are spent. The setting of standards is more about an attitude of mind in defining goals and honouring commitments. In that sense the most important things have not changed, particularly the philosophy of quality and optimism at the most personal of levels.

Bull O'Sullivan Architecture demonstrates particular sensitivity to physical context, climate, and cultural specificity, ensuring each project responds authentically to its place. The practice explains why no detail is too small in its importance and why the same amount of care and attention will be lavished on the design of a door handle, a tap, or a piece of furniture. These, after all, are the elements of the environment that we physically touch every day of our lives.

The firm's excellence has garnered significant recognition, including multiple NZIA National Architecture Awards and the prestigious Sir Ian Athfield Award for Housing. Notable projects span from the award-winning Lyttelton Studio Retreat and Toto Whare to the culturally significant Tongan meeting house Lesieli Tonga, Keene Family Home, Waterhouse Home, Kauri Home, and the recent Chapel of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. The current team includes senior architects Glenn Watt and Sean Flanagan, alongside talented designers Brad Bonnington, Sou Muy Ly, Annabel Standidge, Ying Yan Zhou, Alina Domanova, Emma Rea, Nick O'Connell, and Paea Wolfgramm.

The philosophy and values that inspire every Bull O'Sullivan Architecture project remain the same regardless of scale or size. The practice maintains that project quality derives not from budget magnitude but from judicious resource allocation, establishing standards through commitment and mindset rather than expenditure alone.