Donglu
Encyclopedia
Donglü is a village
in Qingyuan County
, Hebei
province, China
.
It has become known for the apparition of Mary, known as Our Lady of China
, witnessed there in 1900, and the Marian shrine and pilgrimage
site which have since developed.
and about 20 kilometres to the southeast of Baoding
, to which Qingyuan County administratively belongs).
Donglü is home to a Gothic
-style church originally constructed in the late 1880s and rebuilt in 1992 after being reduced to ruins in 1941 during the Second World War when it caught fire due to Japanese artillery bombardment. The structure is said to be large enough to hold several thousand people; local officials reportedly maintain that the church building is the largest in north China
.
. This apparition became known in Catholic devotion as Our Lady of China
. In the Catholic Church, Donglü was consecrated as the shrine for Our Lady of China
in 1932 by Pope Pius XI. On May 23, 1995 an apparition of Mary took place, reportedly witnessed by over 30,000 pilgrims, and certified by the bishop of Baoding
. Witnesses spoke of the sun spinning from left-to-right in the sky and giving off various colors. The phenomenon lasted approximately twenty minutes.
Various leaders of the Baoding
diocese in which Donglü falls have also been arrested and/or incarcerated. In April and May 1996, up to 5,000 troops were mobilized along with about 30 armored cars as well as helicopters in order to isolate the village. The statue of Mary at the shrine was reportedly confiscated.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in Qingyuan County
Qingyuan County, Hebei
Qingyuan County is a county under the jurisdiction of Baoding prefecture-level city, Hebei, China.-Administrative Divisions:Towns:*Qingyuan Town , Ranzhuang , Yangcheng , Weicun , Wenren , Zhangdeng , Dazhuang , Zangcun Townships:*Baituan Township , Beidian Township , Shiqiao Township , Lizhuang...
, Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
province, 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...
.
It has become known for the apparition of Mary, known as Our Lady of China
Our Lady of China
Our Lady of China is the name given to an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Donglu, China, first appearing in 1900....
, witnessed there in 1900, and the Marian shrine and pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
site which have since developed.
Geography
Donglü is located about 140 kilometres south-west of the Chinese capital BeijingBeijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
and about 20 kilometres to the southeast of Baoding
Baoding
-Administrative divisions:Baoding prefecture-level city consists of 3 municipal districts, 4 county-level cities, 18 counties:-Demographics:The Baoding urban area has a population of around 1,006,000 . The population of the Baoding administrative area is 10,890,000. The considerable majority are...
, to which Qingyuan County administratively belongs).
Religion
In 2004 it was reported that as many as 7000 of Donglü's approximately 9000 residents are Catholic, giving the town probably a larger concentration of Catholics than any other place in China. The city is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baoding.Donglü is home to a Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
-style church originally constructed in the late 1880s and rebuilt in 1992 after being reduced to ruins in 1941 during the Second World War when it caught fire due to Japanese artillery bombardment. The structure is said to be large enough to hold several thousand people; local officials reportedly maintain that the church building is the largest in north China
North China
thumb|250px|Northern [[People's Republic of China]] region.Northern China or North China is a geographical region of China. The heartland of North China is the North China Plain....
.
Our Lady of China
Donglü was the site of a Marian apparition in 1900 during the Boxer RebellionBoxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...
. This apparition became known in Catholic devotion as Our Lady of China
Our Lady of China
Our Lady of China is the name given to an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Donglu, China, first appearing in 1900....
. In the Catholic Church, Donglü was consecrated as the shrine for Our Lady of China
Our Lady of China
Our Lady of China is the name given to an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Donglu, China, first appearing in 1900....
in 1932 by Pope Pius XI. On May 23, 1995 an apparition of Mary took place, reportedly witnessed by over 30,000 pilgrims, and certified by the bishop of Baoding
Baoding
-Administrative divisions:Baoding prefecture-level city consists of 3 municipal districts, 4 county-level cities, 18 counties:-Demographics:The Baoding urban area has a population of around 1,006,000 . The population of the Baoding administrative area is 10,890,000. The considerable majority are...
. Witnesses spoke of the sun spinning from left-to-right in the sky and giving off various colors. The phenomenon lasted approximately twenty minutes.
Recent Events
Since the 1990s, multiple sources have reported that there have been several years in which pilgrimages to Donglü have been declared illegal by the government. Public security forces have been employed to attempt to prevent pilgrims from reaching the village or the shrine or to force those present to leave. In various incidents, multiple individuals have been arrested.Various leaders of the Baoding
Baoding
-Administrative divisions:Baoding prefecture-level city consists of 3 municipal districts, 4 county-level cities, 18 counties:-Demographics:The Baoding urban area has a population of around 1,006,000 . The population of the Baoding administrative area is 10,890,000. The considerable majority are...
diocese in which Donglü falls have also been arrested and/or incarcerated. In April and May 1996, up to 5,000 troops were mobilized along with about 30 armored cars as well as helicopters in order to isolate the village. The statue of Mary at the shrine was reportedly confiscated.
See also
- Our Lady of ChinaOur Lady of ChinaOur Lady of China is the name given to an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Donglu, China, first appearing in 1900....
- Catholicism in China
- Christianity in ChinaChristianity in ChinaChristianity in China is a growing minority religion that comprises Protestants , Catholics , and a small number of Orthodox Christians. Although its lineage in China is not as ancient as the institutional religions of Taoism and Mahayana Buddhism, and the social system and ideology of...
- Our Lady of Sheshan