Rosary Cathedral (Kaohsiung)

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Facade of the cathedral
Interior of the cathedral

The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary ( Chinese  前 金 天主堂 , Pinyin qiánjīn tiānzhǔ táng , Pe̍h-ōe-jī cheng-kim thian-chu tong ; officially Chinese  玫瑰 聖母 聖殿 主教 座 堂 ) is the oldest Roman Catholic church in the Republic of China (Taiwan) .

history

As the first Catholic church in Taiwan , it was erected instead of a mission on the east bank of the Love River in what is now the Lingya district of Kaohsiung . Construction of one of the three great Catholic churches in Asia began after the Treaty of Tianjin of 1858 and was completed in the Qing Dynasty in 1863 . It was consecrated as a rosary queen after a Spanish statue of the Virgin Mary . The present church was built from 1928 to 1931 during the Japanese period through renovations and extensions. It became the cathedral of the Formosa Apostolic Prefecture, today's Kaohsiung Diocese . In 1995, Pope John Paul II also awarded it the title of Basilica minor .

Building

The church in the form of a basilica with its high nave and the lower side aisles shows neo-Romanesque and neo-Gothic elements, such as the columns and the ribbed vaults . The church tower stands above the southern portal with three entrances, it is flanked by two smaller ones.

The interior is similar to the Manila Cathedral in the Philippines. The main altar in the apse stands on an octagonal base. It presents the Virgin Mary statue to the Lady of the Holy Rosary and is decorated with Chinese carvings and, like the capitals of the seven pairs of columns, with gold leaf. The rose windows and the arched windows in the choir are adorned with leaded glass windows . The popular altar is made of gray Greek marble. The tabernacle comes from the Church of Yanchao and came to the cathedral in 1974. A rectangular Chinese imperial plaque is located above the keystone of the round arch.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Holy Rosary Cathedral Minor Basilica
  2. ^ A b Minor Basilica-Cathedral of the Holy Rosary, Kaohsiung
  3. ^ Cathedral Basilica of the Holy Rosary on gcatholic.org

Coordinates: 22 ° 37 ′ 12.8 ″  N , 120 ° 17 ′ 29.9 ″  E