Catholic Xikai Cathedral

Catholic Xikai Cathedral

Catholic Xikai Cathedral is a Tianjin Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Officially known as Catholic Xikai Cathedral, it is also called Old Xikai Church or French Church. Located on Dushan Road, Binjiang Avenue, Heping District, it faces northeast from the southwest. It was constructed in 1916 under the supervision of French missionary Bishop Paul-Marie Dumond. During the Anti-Japanese War, nearly 34 hectares of Chinese land in Old Xikai were annexed by the French Concession. The Xikai Church, being located in the French Concession and built by French missionaries, was also referred to as the French Church by locals in Tianjin at the time. The church covers a construction area of 1,891.95 square meters and has a cruciform layout. Designed in the French Romanesque architectural style, it stands 45 meters high with a construction area of 1,585 square meters and features a long cruciform plan. At the front and rear, three large emerald-green domed towers rise, arranged in a "pin" formation. The walls are built with red and yellow patterned bricks, topped with bulbous green spires, and decorated with semicircular arch windows under the eaves. Inside, the church has a three-aisled nave layout, adorned with numerous murals.

When the Tianjin Diocese of the Catholic Church was first established, the bishop’s residence was located at Wanghailou Church. Between 1913 and 1916, the bishop’s residence was built in Old Xikai west of the Qiangzi River (it moved here from Wanghailou in 1914), along with a seminary, Xikai Church, a church hospital, and Franco-Chinese Middle School. The Xikai Church thus became the center of Catholicism in Tianjin. The main hall features two rows (seven columns each) of fourteen pillars extending from either side of the entrance to the altar at the base, forming a three-aisled nave. The central nave is supported by stacked composite square-column arcades bearing semi-circular arch vaults. The central grand dome is connected via an octagonal drum to the supporting arch vault columns. The interior’s large dome and side windows are fitted with stained glass paintings. The walls are decorated with elaborate murals, creating a richly ornamented space filled with religious mystique. Tower structures flank the church’s entrance. All three domes are slightly elongated upward, supported by wooden frameworks and covered with green copper plates, topped with crosses. In the 1976 earthquake, the bases of the domes of the two front towers were severely damaged. Restoration began in 1979 and was completed in autumn 1980, when the church officially reopened to the public and resumed religious activities. Xikai Church is the largest Catholic church in Tianjin and serves as the cathedral of the Tianjin Diocese. Daily religious services are held in the morning. On Sundays and Catholic holidays, services are offered both in the morning and evening. The full name of Xikai Church is Catholic Xikai Cathedral, located in the eastern section of Xining Road, Heping District. The church covers a construction area of 1,891.95 square meters with a cruciform layout. The main hall has two rows of fourteen pillars from either side of the entrance to the altar at the base, forming a three-aisled nave. The entire structure is designed in the Romanesque style. Xikai Church is the largest Catholic church in Tianjin and the cathedral of the Tianjin Diocese. It was listed as a municipal cultural relics protection unit in 1991.