St. Joseph Cathedral (Tianjin)
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St. Joseph Cathedral (), also known as the Xikai Church (), is a Roman Catholic church located in the central commercial district and former
French concession The Shanghai French Concession; ; Shanghainese pronunciation: ''Zånhae Fah Tsuka'', group=lower-alpha was a foreign concession in Shanghai, China from 1849 until 1943, which progressively expanded in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Th ...
of
Tianjin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...
, China. It is at the southern end of Binjiang Dao () in Heping District. The cathedral is one of Tianjin's protected historical relics. The church was built in 1913 under the name of MG Church before it was renamed St. Joseph's Church. It is the largest Roman Catholic Church in Tianjin.


History

In 1912, the
Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...
issued an edict, announced by
Zhili Zhili, alternately romanized as Chihli, was a northern administrative region of China since the 14th-century that lasted through the Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty until 1911, when the region was dissolved, converted to a province, and renamed ...
Vicariate on behalf of the Northern Territory Zhili Vicariate. Tianjin's Bishop House was located near the
Sancha River The Wu River () is the largest southern tributary of the Yangtze River. Nearly its entire length of runs within the isolated, mountainous and ethnically diverse province of Guizhou. The river takes drainage from a watershed. The river flows th ...
in the Wanghailou Church, and the first apostolic vicar was
Paul-Marie Dumond Paul-Marie is a French masculine given name, and may refer to: * Paul-Marie Boulanger (born 1950), Belgian sociologist * Paul-Marie Coûteaux (born 1956), French politician * Paul-Marie Delaunay (1878–1958), French physician and historian * Paul- ...
of the
Congregation of the Mission , logo = , image = Vincentians.png , abbreviation = CM , nickname = Vincentians, Paules, Lazarites, Lazarists, Lazarians , established = , founder = Vincent de Paul , fou ...
. In August 1913, construction began, and each brick had to be shipped from France. In June 1916, Xikai was completed and became the main cathedral for the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Tianjin The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tianjin/Tíentsín (Latin: la, Tienzinen(sis), ) is a suffragan diocese in the Ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Beijing in PR China. Its cathedral episcopal see is Cathedral of St. Joseph (La ...
. Afterward, Bishop
Paul-Marie Dumond Paul-Marie is a French masculine given name, and may refer to: * Paul-Marie Boulanger (born 1950), Belgian sociologist * Paul-Marie Coûteaux (born 1956), French politician * Paul-Marie Delaunay (1878–1958), French physician and historian * Paul- ...
opened the St. Joseph's Primary School (now Tianjin No. 21 Middle School). Since then the diocese also acquired a St. Joseph's School of Law and the Catholic Hospital (now Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Tianjin). At the start of construction, the French concession of Tianjin was ordered to station police in the area. On October 20, 1916, however, the French stationed police was forced to disarm by local Chinese police who detained the bridge and caused massive public protests in Tianjin. Later, the Sino-French people of the region maintained control. On August 23, 1966, the Red Guards attacked the area, during which three towers were destroyed and were not rebuilt until the 1980s. The
1976 Tangshan earthquake The 1976 Tangshan earthquake () was a 7.6 earthquake that hit the region around Tangshan, Hebei, China, at 3:42 a.m. on 28 July 1976. The maximum intensity of the earthquake was XI (''Extreme'') on the Mercalli scale. In minutes, 85 percent ...
also caused some damage. The two front shock towers at the base of the dome were severely damaged, and the repairs to the base did not begin until 1979. They were completed in the Fall of 1980 when the official opening was celebrated. In August 1991, August, Xikai was listed on Tianjin's cultural relics protection list. As of today, the church is still the largest Catholic Church in the Tianjin metropolitan area.


Architectural style

Xikai is northern China's largest Romanesque church, with an area of 1891.95 square meters and can accommodate 1,500 people. The giant dome has a "product" shape with a green copper surface on the outside, supported by a wood structure and topped with a bronze cross. At the time it was built, the bishop refused to install a lightning rod on the dome, but 50 years later it was added. However, 80 years later when the area became a commercial center for Tianjin, the church was no longer the tallest building and therefore no longer required a lightning rod. Xikai's walls are checkered with red and yellow tiles and framed with white water masonry. Circular windows, columns, large indoor paintings, a large pipe organ, and semi-circular windows accent the building. The entrance consists of two doors in the back of Xikai, originally meant to allow men and women to enter through separate doors. The interior of Xikai is based on French and Roman architecture styles. The long main hall is lined by 14 large columns (two rows of seven), leading to a gallery-style tee. The nave has a stacked composite side portico, supported by semi-circular tops. The tall central dome consists of an octagonal drum roof that complements the octagonal windows throughout the church. Its side windows are stained glass with inlay painting. Painted, ornate murals, full of Biblical scenes, cover the walls.


Religious activities

There are two Our Lady of China, Tianjin (OLCTJ) parishes that celebrate at this cathedral: Chinese and English. Every morning the Chinese parish holds a Mass, while also providing additional Saturday and Sunday services. The English speaking parish, started in 2007 by Father Joseph Loftus, celebrates at 11:30am every Sunday, with special Masses around certain holidays. Since this parish began, the English speaking foreign celebrants have created a Council to run all of the parish activities including a Music Ministry, Youth Group,
Rosary The Rosary (; la, , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), also known as the Dominican Rosary, or simply the Rosary, refers to a set of prayers used primarily in the Catholic Church, and to the physical string of knots or b ...
Group, potluck meals, a
RCIA The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), or ''Ordo Initiationis Christianae Adultorum'', is a process developed by the Catholic Church for its catechumenate for prospective converts to the Catholic faith above the age of infant bapt ...
, and a Charity Ministry. More specifically, the Xikai English parish has developed partnerships to help with Tianjin's local Huiling Orphanage and TICCO.


Images

File: Xikai_Cathedral_of_Tianjin_China_Interior_Back.jpg , Church interior, rear view File: Xikai Cathedral of Tianjin China St.Mary.jpg , Virgin Mary outside the Church File: Xikai church.jpg , Church Night File: Tianjin Xikai cathedral interior 0720.JPG , 2010
Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...
of the Western church


References


External links

* {{coord, 39, 07, 01, N, 117, 11, 15, E, type:city_source:kolossus-plwiki, display=title Roman Catholic cathedrals in China Churches in Tianjin Buildings and structures in Tianjin Tourist attractions in Tianjin