Completion of the innovative structure, designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, marks a major milestone in the city's recovery from the devastating 6.3-magnitude quake that levelled much of the downtown area, acting dean Lynda Patterson said.
"The old cathedral symbolised the city in many ways and we think this cathedral is a symbol that Christchurch is regrouping and rebuilding," she told AFP.
"The community has a cathedral again. It's a place where people can come for quiet contemplation in the city centre and somewhere we can hold concerts and art exhibitions."
Despite the unusual building material, it has a design life of 50 years, with the Anglican Church planning to use it as a cathedral for at least a decade while it builds a permanent replacement for the late 19th-century building lost in the quake.
It has a concrete base, with the cardboard tubes forming two sides of the A-frame and containers helping brace the walls.
One end of the cathedral will be filled with stained glass and a polycarbon roof will help protect it from the elements.
In an interview with AFP last year, Ban said cardboard was a surprisingly strong building material and described projects such as the cathedral as part of the "social responsibility" of being an architect.
The project has not been without setbacks. It was originally slated for completion in November last year and the budget has reportedly increased from USD 3.6 million to around USD 5.6 million.
Patterson said it was a relief to finally stage the building's dedication service today evening.
"I still keep having dreams that the ground has shifted and I'll go there and it's a building site again," she said.
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