Catholic Major Seminary

Catholic Major Seminary

The Catholic Major Seminary is a protected cultural heritage site of Shanghai.

The Catholic Major Seminary is located within the compound of the Xuhui District Government on Caoxi North Road, and is a religious building featuring European neoclassical architectural characteristics. This former seminary, which trained clergy for the Catholic Church, boasts a considerable scale, symmetrical layout, and imposing presence. Interestingly, the overall design does not adopt the Gothic style commonly used in Western churches, but is closer to secular architecture.

The façade composition follows a horizontal tripartite division, with the ground floor clearly serving as the base. Although the three upper floors beneath the eaves lack full classical columns, the vertical lines extending from the window bays to the eaves distinctly echo the presence of columns. The vertical composition is divided into five sections, with protrusions on both sides and in the center. While not perfectly symmetrical—as the western section and the central part have three bays while the eastern section has only two—the design is treated symmetrically. The use of pediments on the three protruding sections further reinforces this architectural order, reflecting the influence of European neoclassical formal traditions.