Church Buildings in China
The earliest churches in China were mostly civilian residences and temples or built according to Chinese traditional architectural styles with some Western decorations. Simple ones only had a cross as the symbol. Later, some Western preachers began to carry out independent design, and Christian churches emerged across the country as an architectural type that spread to China from the West.
Early churches in China usually adopted the Romanesque church style. The St. Francis Xavier Church built at Dongjiadu in Shanghai between 1847 and 1853 is the earliest existing Western-style church named after the Christian priest St. Francis Xavier, who came to the Far East first but failed to reach the Chinese inland and died on Shangchuan Island. This church's style is a mixture of the Romanesque style and the Baroque style. The Pidgin Catholic Church, originally called St. Joseph's Church, was built along Sichuan Road South in the French Concession in Shanghai between 1860 and 1861. It is a typical French Romanesque church with very eye-catching stained-glass windows in the side walls.
Gothic churches are very common in Chinese Catholic architecture. The Shishi Sacred Heart Church in Guangzhou built between 1863 and 1888 is one of the most representative and most exquisitely built modern French Gothic catholic churches in China. The 58.5-meter-high steeple is the highest among all churches in China.
The most outstanding Gothic catholic church is the Xujiahui Catholic Church in Shanghai. It is also the largest church in the city with lofty towers on both sides of the front gate and a Gothic rib vault structure inside. The whole church is tall and has harmonious colors, striking people as sacred and sublime.
About the book
Chinese Architecture Written by Cai Yanxin Published by China Intercontinental Press, Beijing, 2018
The earliest churches in China were mostly civilian residences and temples or built according to Chinese traditional architectural styles with some Western decorations. Simple ones only had a cross as the symbol. Later, some Western preachers began to carry out independent design, and Christian churches emerged across the country as an architectural type that spread to China from the West.
Early churches in China usually adopted the Romanesque church style. The St. Francis Xavier Church built at Dongjiadu in Shanghai between 1847 and 1853 is the earliest existing Western-style church named after the Christian priest St. Francis Xavier, who came to the Far East first but failed to reach the Chinese inland and died on Shangchuan Island. This church's style is a mixture of the Romanesque style and the Baroque style. The Pidgin Catholic Church, originally called St. Joseph's Church, was built along Sichuan Road South in the French Concession in Shanghai between 1860 and 1861. It is a typical French Romanesque church with very eye-catching stained-glass windows in the side walls.
Gothic churches are very common in Chinese Catholic architecture. The Shishi Sacred Heart Church in Guangzhou built between 1863 and 1888 is one of the most representative and most exquisitely built modern French Gothic catholic churches in China. The 58.5-meter-high steeple is the highest among all churches in China.
The most outstanding Gothic catholic church is the Xujiahui Catholic Church in Shanghai. It is also the largest church in the city with lofty towers on both sides of the front gate and a Gothic rib vault structure inside. The whole church is tall and has harmonious colors, striking people as sacred and sublime.
About the book
Chinese Architecture Written by Cai Yanxin Published by China Intercontinental Press, Beijing, 2018
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