Former Site of the Notre-Dame Convent

Former Site of the Notre-Dame Convent

The former site of the Notre-Dame Convent is a cultural relic protection unit of Shanghai Municipality.

The Notre-Dame Convent was initiated by Jesuit missionary Xue Kongzhao and construction began in Hengtang, Qingpu in 1843. In the third year of the Tongzhi reign (1864), it was relocated to Wangjiatang near Xujiahui. In the seventh year of the Tongzhi reign (1868), congregations such as the Sisters of Charity and the Daughters of the Presentation successively established convents near the Jesuit residence in Xujiahui, collectively known as the Xujiahui Notre-Dame Convent.

The current building was constructed in 1926 and is the only remaining main part of the original Xujiahui Notre-Dame Convent. The architecture features European style and is a five-story reinforced concrete structure. By the end of the last century, after the nuns moved to the Tangmuqiao Catholic Church in Pudong, the building was leased and is currently used by the Shanghai Old Station restaurant. In 1994, it was designated as an Outstanding Historical Building by the Shanghai Municipal People's Government; in 2014, it was listed as a cultural relics protection unit by the Shanghai Municipal People's Government.

The site now displays Shanghai’s “antiques” from the 1920s and 1930s, along with two historically significant train carriages: one is the No. 97318 official car built in 1899 by Hanover Vehicle Works in Germany, which once served as an imperial carriage for Empress Dowager Cixi; the other is the No. 97431 special car built in 1919 by Yekaterinburg Vehicle Works in Russia, which was the private train used by Soong Ching-ling.

Address: No. 201, North Caoxi Road

Website: http://www.shanghailaozhan.com/

Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday, 10:00–11:00, 14:00–16:30

Admission: Free entry