Sheshan Basilica

The She Shan Cathedral is a Catholic church in Shanghai, China. The name comes from its location on the western peak of She Shan, a hill located in Songjiang District, to the west of Shanghai's metropolitan area. It is the largest Christian church building in East Asia and was at one time the destination of pilgrims from across Asia.

Sketch of Sheshan Cathedral

History

The official name of the church is the Church of the Holy Mother in China. The first church on She Shan hill was built in 1863. During the Taiping revolution, Jesuit missionaries bought a plot of land on the southern slopes of the hill. A derelict Buddhist monastery had stood on the site. The remaining buildings were demolished, and a small building was constructed as living quarters for missionaries, and a small chapel. At the peak of the hill (where the Maitreya hall had stood), a small pavilion was built in which was placed a statue of the Madonna.

In June 1870, unrest in Tianjing led to the burning of churches there. The Shanghai Jesuits prayed at the statue of the Madonna and pledged to build a church to her honour in return for her protection. Subsequently, construction of the church began. Wood was shipped in from Shanghai, and stone bought from Fujian. All material had to be ported to the peak by hand. The church was completed two years later. This first church was in the form of a cross, and incorporated features of both Chinese and Western architectural features. A veranda was placed outside the door, with ten columns. Eight stone lions were placed before the church. In 1894, several ancillary buildings were added. These included a chapel half-way down the hill, a shrine to the Sacred Heart, the Madonna, and St Joseph. Fourteen Stations of the Cross were constructed along the path to the Church.

In 1925, the existing Church was found to be inadequate, and it lagged far behind other churches in Shanghai in terms of size and ornamentation. The church was demolished and rebuilt. Because the Portuguese priest and architect (叶肇昌) was very stringent about the quality of construction, the whole project took ten years to finish, and the church was completed in 1935.

In 1942, Pope Pius XII ordained the She Shan Cathedral a minor Basilica. In 1946, the Holy See crowned the statue of Our Lady of Zose (Zose being the Shanghainese pronunciation of She Shan) at the apex of the tower.

After the Communist takeover in 1949, She Shan Cathedral was heavily damaged during the Cultural Revolution. The stained glass windows of the church, carvings along the Via Dolorosa, the statue atop the bell tower, and various other iconography were destroyed.

After the Cultural Revolution ended, the damage was gradually repaired. The statue was initially replaced with a simple iron cross, and a replacement statute was installed in 2000.

Layout

The church occupies an area of 1 hectare and is about 70 feet (20 metres) tall. It is a rectangular Latin cross in shape, and in classical Basillica form. Entrances are placed in the north, west, and south. The main door is in the south-west. The nave is 55.81 m long, 24.68 m wide. The ceiling is 16.46 high, and the church can seat 3000. The altar is placed at the eastern end, and is built of marble with gold trim and in-laid jade. The exterior is mainly granite, and part of the roof is covered in Chinese-style color-glazed tiles.

The bell tower stands on the south-east corner. It is 38 m tall. At the top of its bell tower stands a 4.8m bronze Madonna and Child statue ("Our Lady of Zose", Zose being the Shanghainese pronunciation of "She Shan").

Other features

The 14 Stations of the Cross are situated at the end of each zig zag path up the steep hill leading to the church. At the mid level in an open square where there are two shrines, one in devotion to the Sacred Heart and the other to the Holy Mother.

Nearby is the She Shan Station of the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory. This was originally built by the Jesuits.

Pilgrimage

In 1874, Pope Pius IX declared that pilgrims who went to She Shan in May (the month of the Holy Mother) would receive full amnesty. As a result, pilgrims from all over China began to congregate at She Shan in May, a practice that continues to this day.

Every May, the church becomes the destination for pilgrims who travel far and wide to make their annual pilgrimage at She Shan, praying the Way of the Cross, the holy rosary and attending mass at this holy site. Traditionally, many of the Catholics in the area were fishermen, who would make the pilgrimage by boat. This tradition continues among local Catholics, with the result that the creeks around She Shan are often crowded with boats in May.

Currently, She Shan is the only active pilgrimage site for Catholics in China.