Cathedral of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows, Suzhou
| Cathedral of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows | |
|---|---|
| Yangjiaqiao Catholic Church | |
杨家桥天主堂 | |
 | |
  Cathedral of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows  Cathedral of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows | |
| 31°18′01″N 120°34′39″E / 31.3004°N 120.5774°E | |
| Location | Suzhou, Jiangsu |
| Address | 1162 Sanxiang Road, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China |
| Country | China |
| Language(s) | Chinese |
| Denomination | Catholic |
| History | |
| Dedication | Our Lady of Sorrows |
| Administration | |
| Province | Nanjing |
| Diocese | Diocese of Suzhou |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | Joseph Xu Honggen |
| Cathedral of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows, Suzhou | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 聖母七苦堂 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 圣母七苦堂 | ||||||
| Literal meaning | Holy Mother seven sufferings church | ||||||
| |||||||
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows (Chinese: 圣母七苦堂), also known as the Yangjiaqiao Catholic Church (Chinese: 杨家桥天主堂), is a Catholic cathedral located in Suzhou, Jiangsu, China.[a] It is known for its architectural hybridity between Chinese and western styles. The cathedral is located at 1162 Sanxiang Road, Suzhou.[1]
History[edit]
According to the Suzhou Government, the local parish started as the residence of a Catholic merchant and a gathering place for local Catholics in the Qianlong Era of the Qing Dynasty.[1] There used to be a previous church building on the same site built in 1866 informally called "Hall of the Fishing Boats" (Chinese: 网船公所).[3] The current church building began its construction in 1893 under the leadership of the French priest Joseph Deffond. In 1949, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Suzhou was established, and the church became the cathedral of the diocese.[4]
In 1958, the cathedral was appropriated as a school for socialist education. It was used for other purposes in the 1960s before being returned to the Catholic Church in 1981. The cathedral suffered a flood in 1991 and became listed as a culturally protected site (Chinese: 文物保护单位) of Suzhou that year. In 2000, a traditional gallery and greeneries were added.[1][4][5][6]
Architecture[edit]
-
The gates of the cathedral -
The interior of the cathedral -
The cathedral employs Chinese architecture and western symbols
The cathedral building is 44.9 meters long and 29.3 meters wide. The roof ridge has a height of 10.9 meters. According to Pan et al., the cathedral employs a "hybridity" of architectural styles. The cathedral used Suzhou traditional building methods, and has a westwork in the style of a paifang. However, it has a European open timber roof structure, very similar to the one of St Nicholas Church, North Walsham. Its pillars are wooden on the inside but made of bricks on the outside.[4]
In 1982 and 2000, the cathedral underwent renovations, in which the IHS Christogram, stained glass, icons, Corinthian capitals and stone arches were added.[4]
See also[edit]
- List of cathedrals in China
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Suzhou
- Catholicism in China
- Our Lady of Sorrows
References[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ The Suzhou Municipal Government assigns the name "cathedral" to both this church and the church at the Suzhou Industrial Park, where the Bishop's Office is located.[1][2] The second occurrence is likely a misinterpretation of the Chinese word "大教堂", i.e. "big church".
Citations[edit]
- ^ a b c d "Yang Jiaqiao Catholic Church". Suzhou Municipal People's Government. 2021-08-02. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
- ^ "Cathedral of Suzhou Industrial Park". Suzhou Municipal People's Government. 2021-08-02. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
- ^ 永龙, 郁 (2014-10-01). 苏州百座寺观教堂 [A Hundred Monasteries and Churches in Suzhou] (in Chinese). 宗教文化出版社. p. 349. ISBN 9787802549128.
- ^ a b c d Pan, Yiting; Wang, Jun; Chen, Xi (September 2021). "糅杂与权宜：苏州杨家桥天主堂"混合性"建造溯源研究" [Eclecticism and Expediency:"Hybridity" of Sino-Western Building Construction in the Yangjiaqiao Catholic Church in Suzhou]. Huazhong Jianzhu (in Chinese). 39 (292): 127–132. doi:10.13942/j.cnki.hzjz.2021.09.026. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
- ^ 《金阊区志》编纂委员会 (2005). 金阊区志 [The History of Jinchang District] (in Chinese). 南京: 东南大学出版社. ISBN 9787810898850.
- ^ 永龙, 郁 (1991). "苏州杨家桥天主堂遭灾，市宗教局领导拨款救济". 中国天主教 (in Chinese) (5): 30.
External links[edit]
- Yang Jiaqiao Catholic Church by Suzhou Municipal People's Government