24 Hours Hotline: +86 137-3541-1378
Email:[email protected]
24 Hours Hotline: +86 137-3541-1378
Email:[email protected]
Overview of St. Ignatius Cathedral
St. Ignatius Cathedral, also known as the Xujiahui Cathedral, is a Neo-Gothic Roman Catholic cathedral, located in Xujiahui, Shanghai, China. Since 1960, St Ignatius has been the seat of the Bishop of Shanghai and the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Shanghai.
It was designed by the English architect William Doyle in 1904 and built by French Jesuits from 1906 to 1910. This building adopts a cross-shaped plan and its main body is made of brick and wood. At the front stands a pair of belfries which are both 57 meters high.
History
The first church at Zikawei (now spelled Xujiahui) was built in 1851. A medium-sized, Greek style church was built in 1851 (demolished in the 1980s to make way for the new headquarters of the Shanghai Diocese).With the growth of Zikawei as a center of Catholicism, a new, larger church was commissioned. Designed by English architect William Doyle, and built by French Jesuits between 1906 and 1910, it is said to have once been known as "the grandest church in the Far East." It can accommodate 2,500 worshippers at the same time.
In 1966, at the opening of the Cultural Revolution, Red Guards from Beijing vandalized the cathedral, tearing down its spires and ceiling, and smashing its roughly 300 square meters of stained glass. Red Guards also beat up priests and nuns at the church. Powerless to resist, Bishop Aloysius Zhang Jiashu knelt at the altar and prayed until he was dragged away-for the duration of the Cultural Revolution, he was "sent down" for labour, repairing umbrellas and washing bottles. For the next ten years the Cathedral served as a state-owned grain warehouse.
In 1978 the cathedral was re-opened, and the spires were restored in the early 1980s.
In 1989, the first-ever Chinese language Mass was celebrated in St. Ignatius by order of Bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian.
The building's restoration is continuing. In 2002, Wo Ye, a Beijing-born artist, and Father Thomas Lucas, a Jesuit from the University of San Francisco, began a five-year project to replace the cathedral's stained glass windows.
Since 2014, the sculpture of Holy Mary, Chinese Empress, created by the Spanish sculptor Antonio Jesús Yuste Navarro, is venerated there.
Architecture
The St.Ignatius Cathedral must be the Gothic architecture,It is an architectural style that flourished in Europe during the High and Late Middle Ages. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture. Originating in 12th century France and lasting into the 16th century, Gothic architecture was known during the period as Opus Francigenum ("French work") with the term Gothic first appearing during the later part of the Renaissance. Its characteristics include the pointed arch, the ribbed vault (which evolved from the joint vaulting of Romanesque architecture) and the flying buttress. Gothic architecture is most familiar as the architecture of many of the great cathedrals, abbeys and churches of Europe. It is also the architecture of many castles, palaces, town halls, guild halls, universities and to a less prominent extent, private dwellings, such as dorms and rooms.
Information
Transportation:Xujiahui Station of Metro Line 1.
Address: No.158 Puxi Road, XujiahuiDistrict
TEL: 021-64690930
Admission Fee: Free
Opening Hours: Daily Mass 7am
Prev: Shanghai Circus World
Duration：6-8 Hours
Attractions(Cities)：Yuyuan Garden & Bazaar, Nanjing Lu (Nanjing Road), Jade Buddha Temple, Old French Concession
Tour Style：Incredible Shanghai Highlights Day Tour suits travelers with just one day to see the city. A knowledgeable private Shanghai guide covers the main sights in a well-paced order, with commentary on local history, daily life, and how the city has changed. You can follow a ready-made plan or adjust it to your own interests. The route runs from the Bund waterfront and the Pudong skyline to the old lanes around Yuyuan and a slice of the Former French Concession, so you leave with a balanced first view of Shanghai. It works well for a short stay, a layover day, or anyone who wants the essentials covered in a single efficient day.
Duration：10 - 12 hours
Attractions(Cities)：The hangzhou Westlake(includingThree Ponds Mirroring the Moon), Guo Garden, Drangon Well Tea Plantation, Bamboo lined path at Yunqi, Hefang Street.
Tour Style：This day trip links Shanghai to Hangzhou by coach and takes in the West Lake area at an easy pace. Start with a boat ride on West Lake to see the causeways and the hills across the water. Walk through a classic Hangzhou garden built along the shore, then head to Meijiawu, a tea village where you can watch Longjing leaves picked and roasted and drink a cup at the source. Near Yunqi there is time for a short walk through bamboo groves and shallow streams. The day ends on Hefang Street, the old market lane, for local snacks and handicrafts before the return to Shanghai.
Duration：9-10 hours
Attractions(Cities)：Lingering Garden, Panmen Gate, Hanshan Temple, Shantang Street
Tour Style：Book this Shanghai to Suzhou day trip and reach Suzhou by bullet train in under 30 minutes. With a private guide you move through the old canals, stone streets, and classical gardens of the city. Entrance tickets are booked ahead, so you skip the ticket lines and start walking right away. The plan covers the well-known gardens and the narrow lanes beside the canals, and can be adjusted to what you want to see. It suits travelers who want a calm, well-organized look at the canal-and-garden heritage of Suzhou in a single day from Shanghai.
Duration：2 Days, 1 Night
Attractions(Cities)：The Bund, Shanghai Tower, Nanjing Road, Old French Concession, Yuyuan Bazaar & Snack Street, Disneyland Park
Tour Style：This Shanghai vacation package is planned for families traveling with children. A private guide who works well with kids keeps the pace easy, builds in breaks, and explains each stop in a way both children and adults follow. The route covers Disneyland Park for rides and shows, the old snack and food street for local flavors, and the city skyline along the Bund and Shanghai Tower, with a walk through the old French Concession. Every stop has a real story behind it, so parents get the history and the children get something to look at. The mix of park time, food, and sightseeing is arranged to suit the interests of the whole family in one Shanghai day.
Duration：5 Days, 4 Nights
Attractions(Cities)：Hangzhou: Westlake, Lingyin Temple, Leifeng Pagoda, Longjing Tea Village... Suzhou:Lingering Garden, Hanshan Temple, Tongli Water Town
Tour Style：Above there is heaven, below are Suzhou and Hangzhou is an old saying, and this 5-day tour covers all three cities on one private itinerary. A guide and a private vehicle handle the transfers between Shanghai, Suzhou, and Hangzhou, so language and logistics are not your problem. The route gives you time on West Lake, a slow look inside a classical Suzhou garden with its rockeries and covered walkways, and a view of how people live and work in each city. You also visit a tea village south of Hangzhou and walk old streets that predate the modern skyline. It is a full introduction to the Yangtze delta for travelers who want the three cities covered together, at a steady pace, without arranging trains and tickets on their own.
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