We all know that many countries have churches, and there are many in our country. We might as well take a look at the ten most famous churches in China.
1. Beijing Dongtang
The East Church, also known as the Wangfujing Catholic Church, was founded in 1655 by priests Li Lisi and an Wensi. It is located at 74 Wangfujing Street, Beijing. In the old days, the Catholic Church in Beijing had four churches: East, West, South and North. The name of the East Church came from this.
2. Harbin Saint Sophia Church
Located in Harbin, St. Sophia Church is the largest Orthodox Church in the Far East. It is 53.35 meters high and covers an area of 721 square meters. It is a typical representative of Byzantine architecture. Founded in March 1907, it is a military church built by the Fourth Infantry Division in East Siberia, Russia. Later, it was rebuilt into an all wood church.
3. Catholic Xikai General Church
The full name of Xikai church is the Catholic Xikai main church, also known as the old Xikai church and the French church. Located in Dushan Road, Binjiang Road, Heping District, Tianjin, it sits from the southwest to the northeast. Xikai church is the largest Catholic Church in Tianjin and the Cathedral of the Catholic Diocese of Tianjin.
4. Xujiahui Catholic Church
Xujiahui Catholic Church, located at 158 Puxi Road, Xuhui District, is the largest Catholic Church in Shanghai and the first church built in western architectural style in China. It faces east in the west, with a cross shaped plane. It is an imitation of French medieval Gothic architecture, with red brick walls, white stone columns, cyan gray slate and tile roof, and two bell towers, facing north and south, towering into the clouds. Xujiahui Catholic Church was known as the first building in Shanghai at that time because of its huge scale, beautiful shape and exquisite workmanship.
5. Nanjing Shigu Road Catholic Church
The Catholic Church at No. 110 Shigu Road, Nanjing is a typical Catholic church building, which was built by French missionaries in 1870. The building has a thick appearance and simple shape. The plane is an orthodox Latin cross, which belongs to the form of early monasteries in Europe. The structure adopts quarter vault, arch rib and cluster column. It is the only 'Roman' building in Nanjing.
6. Qingdao St. Maire Catholic Church
Built in the early 1930s, Qingdao Catholic Church, also known as St. Michael's Cathedral, is the largest Gothic architecture in Qingdao and a masterpiece of Christian Architectural art.
7. Shenyang Nanguan Church
Nanguan Catholic Church is located in lejiao Road, Shenhe District. It was built in the fourth year of Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1878). It was built by Fang ruowang, a French missionary. It was burned by the boxers in the 26th year of Guangxu (1900) and rebuilt with compensation from the Qing government in 1912.
The current building was rebuilt on the original site in 1912 by the French bishop of souberes of the Nanman diocese with the Boxer Indemnity in the Xin Chou treaty., The whole building is divided into East and West courtyards. The church is at the north end of the east courtyard. It is 66 meters long from north to south, 17 meters wide from east to west, 40 meters high, with a construction area of 1100 square meters and can accommodate 1500 people at the same time. The church is a typical Gothic building, with two square conical spires on the top, decorated with crosses. In front of the church are three arches, with rows of small windows on both sides, supported by 24 stone columns, and the vault is inlaid with huge patterns.
The West courtyard of the church has a four story building, which is the Bishop's house built in 1926.
Shenyang is the Catholic Center in Northeast China. For more than 100 years from 1838 to 1949, the seven bishops of Shenyang diocese were French, and Chinese priests were in a subordinate position. On September 20, 1949, the Holy See appointed China as bishop of Shenyang diocese and archbishop of northeast diocese for the first time.
Shenyang Catholic Church was listed as a cultural relics protection unit in Liaoning Province in 1988.
8. Stone chamber Sacred Heart Cathedral
Located on Yide road in the center of Guangzhou City, Shishi Sacred Heart Cathedral is the most magnificent and characteristic Cathedral in the Catholic Diocese of Guangzhou. Because all the walls and columns of the church are made of granite, it is also called 'Shishi'; Or 'stone chamber Jesus Holy Heart Church' and 'stone chamber Catholic Church'.
The total building area of the church is 2754 square meters, 35 meters wide from east to west, 78.69 meters long from north to south, and 58.5 meters high from the ground to the spire. The church belongs to 'Gothic' architecture, which can be comparable to the world-famous Notre Dame in Paris, France.
9. Cizhong Church
In the middle of cizhong village stands a French Catholic Church, which is the deqinci Zhongtian cathedral. The Catholic Church was originally located in Cigu village, about 15km away from the south central part of CI. It was built in 1867 (the sixth year of Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty). At that time, many European missionaries traveled through mountains and rivers and experienced difficulties and dangers to preach on the plateau in Northwest Yunnan. They built churches and developed believers, and they had a hard time in the powerful forces of Tibetan Buddhism. During the Xianfeng Period of the Qing Dynasty, Catholicism began to be introduced into Deqin area. Cigu village church, 15 kilometers south of cizhong village, as the "Catholic cathedral in Yunnan Post district", almost became the base camp for Western missionaries to carry out religious activities in Deqin and even Tibet.
10. Salt well Catholic Church
Yanjing Catholic Church is the only Catholic Church in Tibet. It is located in shangyanjing village, Naxi Township, Mangkang County, next to national highway 214, covering an area of more than 6000 square meters. It is a model of cultural exchange and integration between China and the West.