Sacred Heart Cathedral, Yokohama
Encyclopedia
Sacred Heart Cathedral is the seat of the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Yokohama, Japan
. The Yokohama
diocese includes Kanagawa
, Shizuoka
, Nagano
, and Yamanashi
prefectures. As it is located at 44 Yamate
-cho, Naka-ku
, the cathedral is commonly known locally as .
The original Yamate Catholic Church, a brick building with two bell towers, was built in the same location in 1906. The 1923 Great Kantō earthquake
completely destroyed it. The present Yamate Catholic Church was designed by Czech architect Jan Josef Švagr
in neo-Gothic style and completed in 1933. When the Diocese of Yokohama was erected in 1937, the Yamate church became its cathedral.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
diocese includes Kanagawa
Kanagawa Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...
, Shizuoka
Shizuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...
, Nagano
Nagano Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Nagano.- History :Nagano was formerly known as the province of Shinano...
, and Yamanashi
Yamanashi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Kōfu.-Pre-history to the 14th century:People have been living in the Yamanashi area for about 30,000 years...
prefectures. As it is located at 44 Yamate
Yamate
is the name of two neighborhoods in Naka-ku, Yokohama. One is the historic Yamate Bluff area, with the Foreigner's Cemetery, many well-preserved residences, two International Schools—Yokohama International School and Saint Maur International School—and the Sacred Heart Cathedral...
-cho, Naka-ku
Naka-ku, Yokohama
is one of the 18 wards of the city of Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the ward had an estimated population of 146,563and a density of 7,080 persons per km². The total area was 20.86 km².-Geography:...
, the cathedral is commonly known locally as .
The original Yamate Catholic Church, a brick building with two bell towers, was built in the same location in 1906. The 1923 Great Kantō earthquake
1923 Great Kanto earthquake
The struck the Kantō plain on the Japanese main island of Honshū at 11:58:44 am JST on September 1, 1923. Varied accounts hold that the duration of the earthquake was between 4 and 10 minutes...
completely destroyed it. The present Yamate Catholic Church was designed by Czech architect Jan Josef Švagr
Jan Josef Švagr
Jan Josef Švagr is a Czech architect who worked, mainly, in Japan. He moved to Japan in 1923 and worked there, designing many buildings that. Because of the war he left Japan in April 1941 to Latin America where he continued to participate in several projects. The following is a list of his works...
in neo-Gothic style and completed in 1933. When the Diocese of Yokohama was erected in 1937, the Yamate church became its cathedral.
External links
- History of Diocese of Yokohama
- Diocese of Yokohama at Catholic-Hierarchy.org
- Sacred Heart Cathedral homepage