St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Yangjiaqiao

St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Yangjiaqiao

St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Yangjiaqiao is a Suzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Yangjiaqiao is located northwest of Lianxiang Bridge on Sanxiang Road and was designated as a Suzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 1991.

The Catholic complex includes a church, priests' building, nuns' building, and other auxiliary structures, covering an area of about 10,000 square meters. It is shaded by lush trees and enjoys a tranquil environment. The church and the priests' building retain their original structures. The main church building stands approximately 18 meters tall, covers an area of 1,012 square meters, and features a cruciform floor plan with its main entrance facing east. It is three bays wide and seven bays deep, with the fourth to sixth bays being five bays wide. The architectural style blends Chinese and Western elements, featuring exposed brick walls, gray tiled roofs, steeply pitched roofs, and decorative ridge tiles forming a cross. The east wall is designed like a five-panel screen, with a stained glass roundel window above and three arched doorways below— one large and two small. The central doorway is inscribed with "Source of All Truth" and adorned with statues of deities; the north doorway is labeled "Virtue Supreme," and the south "Truth Revered," each also featuring carved statues. Inside the church, brick columns line the space, leading to the altar at the far end where a shrine to the Virgin Mary is located. Wooden king post trusses are mounted atop the columns, supporting the roof beams, rafters, and tiles. Each bay along the north and south walls is fitted with stained glass arched windows. The priests' building is seven bays wide, two stories high, and constructed of brick and wood. It stands in a row just south of the church, with a covered corridor on the ground floor along the northern side and circular brick pillars below the eaves.