Jilin Catholic Church

Jilin Catholic Church

Jilin Catholic Church is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Christian church is located at No. 31 Beijing Road, Jilin City. Covering an area of over 1,000 square meters, it has two floors and a basement used for storing documents. A particularly eye-catching inscription on the corner of the building reads: “Found your foundation on the rock of character.” This church serves as a place of worship for Christians. Every Sunday, believers come to the church to listen to sermons, sing hymns; there is a prayer meeting on Wednesdays, and a praise and testimony meeting on Fridays. During Easter and Christmas, believers gather here. The church was built in the 17th year of the Guangxu reign (1891, Year of the Metal Rabbit) by the British Irish Presbyterian missionary Rev. Gao Jishan. In the 20th year of the Republic of China (1931, Year of the Metal Goat), the Jilin YMCA began constructing this church. The front of the church features three spire-like structures, with the central spire rising 42 meters high as the church bell tower. On Sundays or Catholic holidays, the church bells can be heard several miles away. The blue stones used in construction were quarried from Ashihada, carved into stone pillars and bases of various specifications, and adorned with carved floral patterns. The church walls were built with specially made blue bricks. Inside the church, there are sixteen large round stone pillars, each 28 meters high and 0.5 meters in diameter. There are 24 stained glass windows featuring images of the Virgin Mary, seven gypsum statues, five altars, and the main altar is carved from stone.

In May 2013, the State Council (State Council Document [2013] No. 13) announced Jilin Catholic Church as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units