First Aid Shanghai: Places of Worship in Shanghai

St.lgnatius Cathedral

The St. Ignatius Cathedral of Shanghai or Xujiahui Cathedral is a Gothic Roman Catholic cathedral, located on Puxi Road, in the Xujiahui district of Shanghai, China. The cathedral is attended by over 2000 people every Sunday.

Designed by English architect William Doyle, and built by French Jesuits between 1905 and 1910, it is said to have once been known as "the grandest cathedral 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 vandalized the cathedral, tearing down its spires and ceiling, and smashing its roughly 300 square meters of stained glass. For the next ten years the building 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 celebrants were Father Thomas Law of Hong Kong, Father Joseph Zen of Hong Kong (later named bishop and Cardinal of Hong Kong), and Father Edward Malatesta of San Francisco.

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. The new windows incorporate Chinese characters and iconography, and they are expected to be finished in time for the 2010 World's Fair in Shanghai.

St.Ignatius Cathedral, Shanghai

Sheshan Marian Basicalica

It is a Catholic church is located on top of the Sheshan West Hill 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. Construction of the basilica started in 1925 and took 10 years to finish. By the 1940's it was the most famous basilica in the Far East. Even from afar you can see the red-bricked place of worship. There are two ways to reach the top of the hill. The easier way is to take the cable cars, and the second is to trek the uphill climb.

Sheshan Marian Basicalica, Shanghai

St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church

It was designed by Yaron, Architects. Built in 1932-1934. Brick and concrete composite construction. Russian style church. Locate at 16, Gaolan Road, Luwan District is an Orthodox Church built in 1934 which was originally called St Nicholas Church. On February 15, 1994 the building was recognized as a city-level cultural relic preservation unit and was also once used as a washing machine factory. It is occupied by a French restaurant called the Ashanti Dome

St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, Luwan, Shanghai

Shanghai Community Church

Located at Hengshan Road in southwestern Shanghai. It is the largest Christian church in Shanghai.
Some American immigrants established a church at Donghu Road in 1920. At first, most Christians that worshiped here were Americans. In 1923, immigrants from different countries in Shanghai raised funds and began the construction of a new church at Hensan Road. It was finished in 1925 and called Shanghai Community Church. Christians of different denominational divisions of Christianity worshiped here thereafter. It imitated English style and was constructed with red bricks. The door of the church faces the north, and the interior is quadrate. It has corridors, aisles and a pointed vault. The roof of the church is a scissors-shaped timberwork; the ice-crackle-like glass is embedded in arc windows. Originally Shanghai Community Church was the dedicated church for immigrants, later some Chinese Christians with high social status worshiped here, especially during the Anti-Japanese War when Chinese priests presided over the services. After 1949, the services were completely taken charge by Chinese priests.

Shanghai Community Church, Hengshan Road Shanghai

The Mu'en Church

located at Xizang Central Road in Shanghai downtown, was originally the Methodist church of Shanghai.
First established in 1887, the church was formerly named the Moore Church to memorize the great American donator Moore. In 1929, the church was moved westward to the present site.

The church was a new gothic church designed by a European architect. The construction was completed in 1931. It features a brick-and-wood structure. It has a big lobby, and the central part is the main body of the church. It can accommodate about 1,000 people, with 560 in the hall, 380 in the balcony, and 60 in the choirs. The rectangle pillars in the hall, the balusters in the balcony, and the bema are covered with artificial stones. The concrete ribbed vault can be seen inside the church. In 1936, an American Christian donated a cross of 5 meters high illuminated by neon light when he visited the church. The cross was installed on the top of the bell tower, making the church well known in Shanghai and Fareast Asia then. In 1958, Christians of various denominational divisions worshiped here together and officially named it the Mu'en Church.

Shanghai Moore Memorial Church

Holy Trinity Cathedral

Holy Trinity Cathedral is the oldest Catholic Church kept in Shanghai. it was set up by a British businessman for British emigrants in 1847 at the crossing of Jianxi Road and Jiujiang Road and thus Jiangxi Road was named Church Street at that time

Holy Trinity Cathedral in Jiujiang Road, Shanghai