Cathedral Of The Immaculate Conception In Nanjing
Beginnings
The first church in Nanjing was established by the Italian Jesuit and one of the first missionaries to China, Matteo Ricci, 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 and the church was torn down.
Reconstruction
In 1870 a new Romanesque 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.
See also
- Roman Catholic Marian churches
- Nanjing
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nanking
- Matteo Ricci
- Roman Catholicism in China
- List of Catholic cathedrals in China
- List of Roman Catholic Dioceses in China
- Religion in China
- Christianity in China
References
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- "The Two Razings and Three Constructions of the Nanjing Cathedral". Jiangsu Ethnic Religions. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
- zh:石鼓路天主教堂 (Shigu Road Catholic Church), Chinese Wikipedia, accessdate=2008-09-22 (in Chinese)