Xujiahui Catholic Cathedral, Shanghai

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Photo of Xujiahui Cathedral

Cathedral of St Ignatius, Xujiahui, Shanghai
Author: Yaoleilei (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)

About Xujiahui Catholic Cathedral

The Cathedral of St Ignatius, also known as Xujiahui Catholic Cathedral, is a red-brick Gothic cathedral in Shanghai, China. It is located on the southwestern corner of the city. Xujiahui Cathedral has a long association with foreigners in Shanghai.

The Xujiahui Cathedral got its name because the land it stands upon was bequethed to the Catholic church by a man named Xu Guangqi (1562-1633) who was converted to the Roman Catholic faith by the missionary Matteo Ricci. Xu left his land to the Jesuits to build a church, seminary and observatory. He was buried in nearby Nandan Park.

The twin towers of Xujiahui Cathedral were only built in 1906. They are each 164 feet (50 meters) tall. The cathedral suffered some damage during the Cultural Revolution but was rebuilt, and today holds Mass every Sunday for over 2,000 worshippers. The decoration inside the cathedral is an interesting mix of Catholic and Chinese styles.

How to reach the Xujiahui Catholic Church

Take the Shanghai Metro to Xujiahui subway station. Walk south along Caoxi North Road until junction with Pu West Road to your right. Walk west along Pu West Road and you will arrive at Xujiahui Catholic Church.