Cathedral of the Angels, Xichang
| Cathedral of the Angels, Xichang | |
|---|---|
| Yong'angong Church Xichang Catholic Church | |
 The cathedral in 2013 | |
 | |
| 27°53′52″N 102°15′56″E / 27.89778°N 102.26561°E | |
| Location | Sanya Street, Xichang, Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan |
| Country | China |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Status | Cathedral |
| Founded | 1908 |
| Founder(s) | Jean de Guébriant |
| Dedication | Angels in Christianity |
| Past bishop(s) | Jean de Guébriant Joseph Bourgain Stanislas Baudry |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Style | Traditional Sichuanese with ancient Roman elements |
| Groundbreaking | 1908 |
| Completed | 1912 |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Chongqing |
| Diocese | Ningyuan |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | John Lei Jiapei[1] |
The Cathedral of the Angels[2] (Chinese: 天神堂; pinyin: Tiānshén Táng; Wade–Giles: Tʻien-shên Tʻang), commonly referred to as Xichang Catholic Church (Chinese: 西昌天主堂; pinyin: Xīchāng Tiānzhǔtáng; Wade–Giles: Hsi-chʻang Tʻien-chu-tʻang), also known as Yong'angong Church (Chinese: 永安公敎堂; pinyin: Yǒng'āngōng Jiàotáng; Wade–Giles: Yung-an-kung Chiao-tʻang; lit. 'Church of Eternal Peace') during the Republican Era, is the Roman Catholic cathedral of the Diocese of Ningyuan, situated on Sanya Street, Xichang (formerly known as Ningyuan), in Sichuan's Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture.
Description
Roman Catholicism was introduced into Ningyuan in the 18th century. The French missionary Jean de Guébriant was put in charge of the evangelistic work in this region by Paris Foreign Missions Society since 1903.[3] 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, 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.[4]
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. It was destroyed in 1968 during the sociopolitical purge movement of Cultural Revolution.[4]
Gallery
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Detail of the cathedral circa 1920 -
The cathedral complex circa 1920 -
The episcopal residence in 1913
See also
- Catholic Church in Sichuan
- Cathedral of St Joseph, Chongqing
- Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Chengdu
References
- ^ "西昌教区简介" [A Brief Introduction of the Xichang Diocese]. sctzj.com (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ^ "Cathedral of the Angels, Xichang". gcatholic.org. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ^ "Diocese of Xichang". ucanews.com. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ^ a b Gao, Xingwen (December 20, 2010). "永安公：老街上的另一种建筑" [Yong'angong Church: A Distinctive Building on the Old Street]. Faith Weekly (in Simplified Chinese). Shijiazhuang. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
