Wellington, Mar 3 (IANS): A 131-year-old cathedral, devastated in the earthquake last year in Christchurch, New Zealand, will be demolished because it is too dangerous and expensive to rebuild, a bishop has said.

The Victorian-era, Gothic-style cathedral, which dominated the city's central square, was badly damaged in the February 2011 quake. The 6.3 magnitude quake killed 185 people and destroyed large areas of the business centre and more than 6,000 homes.

The landmark cathedral was a favourite meeting place and tourist attraction, but any chance of saving it was ended by several strong aftershocks that caused more damage, the Christian Science Monitor reported Friday.

"The decision we have made has been made with prayer, with great deliberation, and an utmost concern for safety," Bishop Victoria Matthews told reporters.

She said the cathedral would be demolished gradually and carefully to a height of two or three metres to salvage historic features.

"There will be no bulldozers, there will be no wrecking balls, this will be done with deep love and respect for a building that has served us so well," Matthews said.

New Zealand faces a NZ$20 billion ($16.5 billion) bill to rebuild its second largest city, the centre of which remains off limits a year after the quake. Whole blocks have been reduced to bare land.