Wuhu Cathedral

Wuhu Cathedral, located at No. 28 Jihe Street, Jinghu District, Wuhu City, Anhui Province, on Crane Hill, consists of five buildings: the cathedral, the priest's building, the former residence of the bishop's office, the former residence of the Virgin Mary's court, and the former residence of the monks' building, with a total area of 14,830 square meters. Wuhu Cathedral, from design to construction, is a fine example of modern Western religious architecture in Wuhu. The church has continued the context of architectural culture, adopting a coexistence approach of Chinese and Western architectural cultures in its design, and using a 'brick-wood mix' method, which is a product of the transition period of ancient and modern architecture. In May 2013, Wuhu Cathedral was announced by the State Council as the seventh batch of national key cultural relics protection units. Wuhu Cathedral was founded in June of the 15th year of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1889). In May of the 17th year of Emperor Guangxu (1891), Wuhu Cathedral was burned down in the 'Wuhu Church Incident'. The Qing government compensated with more than 123,000 taels of silver and rebuilt it on the original site. In June of the 21st year of Emperor Guangxu (1895), the new church was completed. In August of the same year, the Catholic Church established the Wuhu General Vicariate, which included Taiping Prefecture, Hezhou, Luzhou, Chuzhou, and other places. In the first year of the Republic of China (1912), the monks' building was completed. In the 22nd year of the Republic of China (1933), the bishop's building and the Virgin Mary's court were completed. The church is in the European medieval Gothic architectural style, with a brick, wood, and stone mixed structure, and the floor plan is in the shape of a 'cross'. It faces east and west, with a symmetrical layout from north to south, and a building area of 2,042.62 square meters. The church is divided into three parts: the bell tower, which is located at the front, symmetrical from north to south, three bays wide, and 27.77 meters tall. The main body is a dome top, with a pedestal-style structure at the top, decorated with a cross. The second part is the hall. The whole body uses a concrete and granite stone structure, which is durable and sturdy. The clear span of the hall uses a large-span dome top, and the sides are supported by wooden trusses to form a richly layered and lively roof profile combination. The third part is the altar. The altar is divided into three main and secondary parts, with the altar of Saint Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, in the middle, the altar of the Virgin Mary on the left, and the altar of the Holy Son Jesus on the right.