Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Beijing
| Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Xuanwumen, Beijing | |||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 宣武門聖母無染原罪天主堂 | ||||||||
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| Simplified Chinese | 宣武门圣母无染原罪天主堂 | ||||||||
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| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||
| Chinese | 南堂 (The "South Church") | ||||||||
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| Transcriptions | |
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| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Xuānwǔmén Tiān Zhǔtáng |
| Wade–Giles | Hsuanwumen T'ien Chutang |
| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Nántáng |
| Wade–Giles | Nantang |
Coordinates: 39°54′03″N 116°22′27″E / 39.900798°N 116.374075°E
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Chinese: 圣母无染原罪堂), colloquially known as the Xuanwumen church (Chinese: 宣武门天主堂; pinyin: Xuānwǔmén Tiānzhǔtáng) or Nantang (Chinese: 南堂; literally: "the South Church") to the locals, is a historic Roman Catholic Church located in Beijing, China. While the original foundation of the cathedral was in 1605, making it the oldest Catholic church in Beijing, the current building in Baroque style dates from 1904. The present Archbishop Joseph Li Shan, installed in September 2007, is one of the few bishops openly recognized by both the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Church and the Vatican.
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, as a foundation, dates back to 1605, in the 33rd year of the reign of the Wanli Emperor of the Ming dynasty. When the Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci arrived in Beijing, the Wanli Emperor permitted him a residence slightly to the west of the site of the current cathedral, near Xuanwumen. Attached to this residence was a small chapel, in Chinese style, with only the presence of a cross atop the entrance to distinguish it as a church. This was at the time referred to as the Xuanwumen Chapel (宣武门礼拜堂).
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