St. Ignatius Cathedral, also known as Xujiahui Catholic Church, is one of China’s most famous Catholic churches. Located at 158 Puxi Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, it serves as the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Shanghai. The church’s official name is “St. Ignatius Cathedral,” and it is built in the medieval Gothic style. Adjacent to the cathedral are the bishop’s residence and the convent.
On March 16, 2023, I visited Xuhui Academy to return some books and discovered that the cathedral was open to the public. Visitors aged 60 and above could enter directly with their ID cards, while other visitors needed to make an appointment. (Catholic believers do not need tickets).
In September 1989, “Xujiahui Catholic Church” was announced by the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government as a municipal-level cultural relics protection unit (modern architecture category) and one of the first batch of outstanding historical buildings in Shanghai. Among the first batch of China’s 20th-century architectural heritage list, which includes 98 sites, 12 are located in Shanghai.
It is said that there are 2 billion people worldwide who believe in Jesus, and Catholics account for 1.2 billion of them.
The exterior of the church is built with pure red bricks and granite borders. The roof is covered with graphite tiles and adorned with many stone carvings of the Son and God, exuding a pure and serene atmosphere.
Xujiahui Catholic Church can accommodate more than 3,000 believers for activities, earning it the nickname “Shanghai’s Vatican.” The parish holds multiple Masses every morning, and on Sundays and important religious holidays, the church is filled with believers.
On weekdays, there are Masses in the cathedral, and on Sundays and Catholic holidays, there are multiple ceremonies throughout the day. During the four major Catholic festivals, large-scale observances are common, especially during Christmas.
Inside the church, there are 64 pillars carved from Suzhou’s Jinshan stone, each composed of 10 small round columns.
The floor is paved with square bricks, while the central aisle is laid with patterned ceramic tiles. The doors and windows are all Gothic pointed arches, inlaid with colored glass, forming patterns and divine images.
In January 1985, the ordination ceremony of Auxiliary Bishops Li Side and Jin Luxian of the Shanghai Diocese was held here. After the death of Bishop Zhang Jiashu in February 1988, his ashes were placed in the cathedral.
The upper gallery inside the church features a unique mesh design that, combined with aerodynamic principles, ensures that the glass at high positions in the at least three-story-high hall does not need manual cleaning. Moreover, it guarantees that speaking in a normal voice anywhere in the church can be heard in any corner of the cathedral.
Volunteers lead tours of the church every half hour.
The main altar, which arrived from Paris on Easter 1919, is located in the center of the church. It features exquisite carvings and vivid colors, with statues of St. Ignatius and eight other saints.
The church has 19 altars in total.
Large circular rose windows are embedded in the main walls, inlaid with colored glass.
The Last Supper is depicted in one of the church’s many stunning artworks.
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