Jiaxing Cathedral, once "number one in China, third in the Far East"

Jiaxing Catholic Church, commonly known as the Church of Our Lady or the Cathedral, is located at No. 55 Ziyang Street. It is a Western-style building in Italian Gothic style. In 1917, the famous Italian architect and priest Han Rilu presided over the construction of the cathedral in Jiaxing. From material selection to construction, Han Rilu personally supervised to ensure the quality of the project. He imported the most advanced building materials at the time, such as cement, steel, pine, colored glass, and colored floor tiles from France, and specified that the bricks for the walls be fired in Jiashan Gan Kiln Town's "Thousand Kiln Tile Capital". The church cost 80,000 silver yuan and took 13 years to complete. Two bell towers rise in front of the church, 57 meters high, and they long held the title of the tallest building in Jiaxing. When the church was just completed, its scale was "number one in China, third in the Far East". After the church was completed, the French Paris Foreign Missions Society brought a 675-kilogram alloy bell from France, whose sound could be heard for dozens of miles. During the Anti-Japanese War, the church bell was rung many times by the faithful to warn of Japanese air raids. During the "Cultural Revolution", the church was severely damaged. Now the building has been carefully restored to its original appearance, but the interior is still being renovated and is not yet open to the public. The church is just across the road from the Jiaxing Sub-city Ruins Park, and there is a large lawn nearby where many handsome men and beautiful women come to take photos and check in every day, and it is also a popular spot for couples to take wedding photos. In May 2013, Jiaxing Cathedral was listed as a national key cultural relics protection unit in the seventh batch. 📍Detailed address: No. 55 Ziyang Street, Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province