Fuling Catholic Church

Fuling Catholic Church
Fuling Catholic Church
	The entrance to the courtyard of Fuling Catholic Church
	29°43′29″N 107°24′36″E / 29.724696°N 107.410076°E
Location	Fuling District, City of Chongqing
Country	China
Denomination	Roman Catholic
History
Founded	1861; 163 years ago
Founder(s)	French missionaries
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architectural type	Church
Years built	1861 ; 1991 (renovated)
Specifications
Bells	Yes
Administration
Diocese	Jurisdiction: Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association

Fuling Catholic Church is a Catholic church located in Fuling, China. In the West, it's best known for the description given by Peter Hessler in his book River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze (2001).

History

The church was founded in 1861 by French missionaries. The church also had two French priests until the Cultural Revolution;^[1] thereafter, according to written sources, the church was converted into a sock factory by the Red Guards.^[2] The priest and the neighborhood, instead, assert that the church itself was just closed down and the sock factory was started in the buildings in front of the church.

In 1981 the church reopened and on the first Sunday less than twenty nervous people went to Mass.^[3] The church was renovated in 1991, as stated on the plaque next to the entrance of the church.

The neighborhood

Fuling Catholic Church is located in Fuling historical city center. This area will be heavily renewed in 2017. Many buildings, except the very old ones, will be torn down. After consultation with the government, it has been agreed that the church will not be torn down and rebuilt in Lidu (李渡镇) neighoborhood.^[4]