Missionaries' Cemetery on Yushan Mountain

Missionaries' Cemetery on Yushan Mountain

The Missionaries' Cemetery on Yushan Mountain is a cultural relic protection unit of Changshu City.

Missionaries' Cemetery on Yushan Mountain

Located on the slopes of Yianjia Mountain on the mountainside of Yushan, facing east, this site has been a cemetery for Catholic followers since the Ming Dynasty's Wanli era. The Missionaries' Cemetery on Yushan refers to the burial place of several important figures in the history of Chinese Catholicism—Jiamu, Rougemont, Heyunhan, and Beishadao—who were buried here from the early years of the Kangxi reign to the early years of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty. Within the enclosed wall (luocheng), the three tombs are arranged in a triangular formation, while one additional tomb lies outside the wall, covering a total area of approximately 222 square meters. The central tomb has a mound with a diameter of 4.2 meters and a height of 1.5 meters, while the two side tombs each have mounds with diameters of 2.5 meters and heights of 1 meter. In front stands a bluestone stele that is 1.1 meters high and 0.6 meters wide. The upper part of the stele is engraved with the Latin abbreviation for “Jesus, Savior of Mankind” along with a depiction of Jesus on the cross formed by a cross and three iron nails; the lower part is inscribed with the original Latin names and birth and death years of the priests. The site is surrounded by an enclosed wall and a processional path. Originally, a stone-carved cross about 6 meters high stood 5 meters in front of the tombs but was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. It was designated as a cultural relic protection unit of Changshu City in June 2009.