Our Lady of the Apparition Church

Our Lady of the Apparition Church

Our Lady of the Apparition Church was once the largest church in China and the third-largest in Asia

The Jiaxing Church, located on Ziyang Street, now renamed as Our Lady of the Apparition Church. Though scarred and in ruins, its grandeur and solitary majesty remain undiminished.

The finest elements of the church’s architecture and decoration are found inside the sanctuary, but access requires permission from the priest.

The entire church complex covers an area of 34,000 square meters, with a built-up area of 1,320 square meters. Two bell towers rise from the front, reaching a height of 57 meters, and were once the tallest structures in Jiaxing for a long time. Its scale was reputed to be the largest in China and the third-largest in the Far East. Constructed with reinforced concrete, the building features exquisitely detailed carvings. The twin towers flank the central nave facade, which is vertically divided into three sections. The overall façade bears a strong resemblance to that of Notre-Dame de Paris, except with the addition of the twin towers’ domes and the absence of ornate decorations.

After the completion of the church, the French Paris Foreign Missions Society brought an alloy cast iron bell, which was hung in one of the bell towers. This iron bell stands 1.10 meters tall, has a base diameter of 1.10 meters, and weighs 657 kilograms, with a sound that can be heard for miles. During the Anti-Japanese War, parishioners of the church frequently climbed the bell tower to ring the large bell, using it as an air raid siren.

Location

No. 55, Ziyang Street, Nanhu District, Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province