The Cathedral of the Angels, commonly referred to as Xichang Catholic Church ( zh, s=西昌天主堂, w=Hsi-chʻang Tʻien-chu-tʻang, p=Xīchāng Tiānzhǔtáng, links=no), and also known as Yong'angong Church ( zh, t=永安公敎堂, w=Yung-an-kung Chiao-tʻang, p=Yǒng'āngōng Jiàotáng, l=Church of Eternal Peace, links=no) during the
Republican Era. is the
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
cathedral of the
Diocese of Ningyuan, situated on Sanya Street,
Xichang
Xichang, formerly known as Jiandu, Jianchang and Ningyuan(fu), is a city in and the seat of the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, in the south of Sichuan, China. In 2012 it had a population of 481,796.
History
The Qiongdu were the local peop ...
(formerly known as Ningyuan), in
Sichuan
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...
's
Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture.
Description
Roman Catholicism was introduced into Ningyuan, land of the
Nosu tribes, in the 18th century. The French missionary was put in charge of the
evangelistic work in this region by
Paris Foreign Missions Society since 1903.
Under Guébriant's supervision, construction of the Cathedral of the Angels started in 1908. The structure consisted of the cathedral, a bell tower, a courtyard and episcopal residence. It was not completed until 1912. The architectural form was inspired by
ancient Roman architecture
Ancient Roman architecture adopted the external language of classical Greek architecture for the purposes of the ancient Romans, but was different from Greek buildings, becoming a new architectural style. The two styles are often considered one ...
, blended with conspicuous traditional style developed in Sichuan, as visible on the "flying cornices" on the top of the cathedral's façade, which are distinct from those found in other provinces of China.
The bell tower was built on the east side of the cathedral with a cross on the top, which originally housed a bell cast in France. The bell tower was destroyed in 1968 during the sociopolitical purge movement of
Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...
.
Gallery
File:Cathedral of the Angels, Ningyuanfu.png, Detail of the cathedral circa 1920
File:Cathédrale des Anges de Ningyuen.jpg, The cathedral complex circa 1920
File:Evêché de Ningyuen.jpg, The episcopal residence in 1913
See also
*
Catholic Church in Sichuan
*
Cathedral of St Joseph, Chongqing
The Cathedral of St Joseph ( zh, t=聖若瑟主敎座堂, s=圣若瑟主教座堂; or simply ) is the Roman Catholic cathedral of the Archdiocese of Chongqing, situated on St Joseph Lane, Minsheng Road in Yuzhong District of the city of Chongq ...
*
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Chengdu
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, commonly referred to as Ping'anqiao Catholic Church, is the Catholic Church in Sichuan, Roman Catholic cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Chengdu, Diocese of Chengdu, situated on Xihuamen Street, ...
Notes
References
{{Christianity in Sichuan
Xichang
Xichang, formerly known as Jiandu, Jianchang and Ningyuan(fu), is a city in and the seat of the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, in the south of Sichuan, China. In 2012 it had a population of 481,796.
History
The Qiongdu were the local peop ...
Roman Catholic cathedrals in China
Roman Catholic churches completed in 1912
20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in China
Xichang