Wuxi Christian Church

Church in Jiangsu, China
31°34′37″N 120°18′38″E / 31.576834°N 120.310547°E / 31.576834; 120.310547LocationLiangxi District, Wuxi, JiangsuCountryChinaDenominationChinese ProtestantPrevious denominationEpiscopalHistoryStatusParish churchFounded1915 (1915)ArchitectureFunctional statusActiveArchitectural typeChurch buildingStyleGothic architectureYears built1915Groundbreaking1908Completed1915SpecificationsFloor area767 m2 (0.000296 sq mi)MaterialsBricksClergyBishop(s)Zhang Peifu (张佩富)

Wuxi Christian Church (Chinese: 无锡市基督教堂; pinyin: Wúxīshì Jīdūjiàotáng), formerly Holy Cross Church (Chinese: 聖十字堂; pinyin: Shèng shízì táng), is a Protestant church located in Liangxi District of Wuxi, Jiangsu, China.[1]

History

In 1901, American Episcopal Church Pastor Rev. Cameron Farquhar McRae (Mai Ganlin, 麦甘霖) and Zhu Baoyuan (朱葆元), a Chinese staff of the Episcopal Church, introduced Protestantism to Wuxi and founded the Anglican Church of Wuxi later. Preacher Mu Gaowen (慕高文) bought 26 acres of land here in 1908 to build a church. In 1915 they received a large donation from an American believer and enlarged the church.[2]

In 1958 it was renamed "Wuxi Christian Church". During the Cultural Revolution, it was used as school classrooms. After the 3rd Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, according to a policy of some religious freedom, the church was officially reopened to the public in 1980. In January 1994 it was designated as a municipal level cultural relic preservation unit by the local government. The church was inscribed to the Cultural Relics Protection Units List in Jiangsu in March 2019.[3]

  • The Bell Tower.
    The Bell Tower.
  • The entrance.
    The entrance.
  • The interior.
    The interior.

References

  1. ^ 香港陈少爱牧师参观无锡市基督教堂文化展览馆. gospeltimes.cn (in Chinese). 20 September 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  2. ^ Yang Yi (扬伊) (19 January 2017). 江苏省无锡市基督教堂获评无锡首批文明宗教活动场所. gospeltimes.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  3. ^ 省政府关于公布第八批江苏省文物保护单位的通知. jiangsu.gov.cn (in Chinese). 1 April 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2019.

Further reading

  • Weihong, Luo (2014-05-01). 《中国基督教（新教）史》 [History of Protestantism in China] (in Chinese). Shanghai: Shanghai People's Publishing House. ISBN 9787208121324.