Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Nanjing

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Nanjing (圣母无染原罪始胎堂), also known as Shigu Road Cathedral (石鼓路天主教堂) to the locals, is a historical Roman Catholic Church located at 112 Shigu Road in Nanjing, China. First built in 1870 during the Qing dynasty

Qing Dynasty

The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....

, it was later severely damaged during the Northern Expedition War and had to be rebuilt by the Chinese government in 1928. Since the 1930s it has served as the cathedral for the Archdiocese of Nanjing

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nanking

The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Nanking is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in China. It was erected as the Apostolic Vicariate of Nanking in 1659 by Pope Alexander VII, and promoted to a diocese by Pope Alexander VIII on April 10, 1690...

and is the only Catholic church within the city of Nanjing today. In 1982 it was also listed as a Jiangsu

Jiangsu

' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...

Provincial Historic Site.

Beginnings

The first church in Nanjing was established by the Italian Jesuit and one of the first missionaries to China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

, Matteo Ricci

Matteo Ricci

Matteo Ricci, SJ was an Italian Jesuit priest, and one of the founding figures of the Jesuit China Mission, as it existed in the 17th-18th centuries. His current title is Servant of God....

, in 1599, on one of the three occasions that he came to Nanjing. He bought up a private residence on the west side of the city at a place called Luosi Zhuanwan (罗寺转湾 or later written 螺丝转湾), and with some minor modifications it was soon a centre of religious activities. It was not to last long however, for in 1618 there was an imperial decree banning the practice of Catholicism

Catholicism

Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....

and the church was torn down.

Reconstruction

In 1870 a new Romanesque

Romanesque Revival architecture

Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...

church was built by the French Jesuit Adrien de Carrère on a larger site that included the former site of Ricci's church and also the ruins of an old Buddhist temple. It was consecrated as the Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. During the Northern Expedition War (1926–1927) it suffered severe damages and was even used as a stables for a period of time. Afterwards, in 1928 it was restored by the National Government and its appearance today is much the same as it was after this last restoration, despite having been somewhat damaged and closed as well during the Cultural Revolution

Cultural Revolution

The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...

Beginnings

Reconstruction

See also