Lourdes Chapel in Bishan

Lourdes Chapel in Bishan

Lourdes Chapel is a national AA-level tourist attraction.

Lourdes Chapel is located by Jintang Lake in Zhengxing Town, Bishan District, Chongqing. It was selected and built by a French priest in the 26th year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty (1890 AD).

Catholicism was introduced to Bishan in the 5th year of the Guangxu reign (1879 AD), initially spreading in Zhengxing before establishing a church in the urban area of Bishan for missionary work. In 1898 AD, an anti-church armed uprising led by miner Yu Dongchen broke out in Dazu, where churches were destroyed and missionaries were hunted down. After the incident subsided, Father Ma and some parishioners who had fled to Chongqing returned to Zhengxing and used compensation from the Qing government to build the church. Construction of the new chapel began in 1899 and was completed in 1902.

Having withstood a century of storms, Lourdes Chapel remains largely intact. It was designated as a district-level cultural relics protection unit in 1989.

Lourdes Chapel now serves as the headquarters of the Bishan District Catholic Patriotic Association and as the activity center for over 4,000 Catholic believers in the county. Grand Christmas and Easter celebrations are held annually, along with weekly Sunday services.

Features of Lourdes Chapel in Bishan

The main hall of Lourdes Chapel covers an area of about 600 square meters, with bell towers on both sides. Supporting structures include the main gate and the priests’ building. The entire complex originally spanned 12,340 square meters. It has been recognized as the largest Catholic church in Southwest China, likely referring to the total area of the complex (the main hall of Shima Catholic Church in Dazu is over 45 meters long and covers more than 700 square meters, making it larger than the approximately 600-square-meter main hall of Lourdes Chapel).

The interior of the main hall features a blue arched dome supported by two rows of ten large stone pillars. There are three altars at the top: the central one dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes, the left to Saint Joseph, and the right to Jesus. The walls on both sides are adorned with fourteen paintings depicting the Passion of Christ.

Under sunlight, the chairs and people inside the main hall cast shadows, but the ten large stone pillars show no shadows at all, showcasing the ingenuity of its lighting design.

In addition to religious activities (celebrations are held for Easter and Christmas), many young couples now choose to hold their weddings here. During wedding ceremonies, choirs sing hymns and priests offer blessings, adding a unique romantic touch. The rental fee for weddings is 1,200 yuan, while additional fees apply for hiring choirs or priests.

Lourdes Chapel Tip: Admission to visit the church is 3 yuan per person.