Sheshan Catholic Cathedral

From Wiki China org cn

Located in West Sheshan Hill, the Sheshan Catholic Cathedral, the second biggest in East Asia, is well known for its large scale, long history and magnificent structure. It is also named China Holy Virgin Cathedral.

Begun in 1857 and completed in 1873, the cathedral occupies an area of one hectare with a height of 20 m, and is able to accommodate more than 3,000 worshippers at once. In 1946 by a decree of Pius XII, it was classified as a B church and nominated No. 1 Roman Catholic cathedral in the Far East.

The cathedral is of tower-fortress type, with a marvelous Roman structure, famed for its "Four No's" – no wood, no nail, no steel and no girders, and proud of its unsymmetrical architecture.

On Holy Virgin's Day in May, pilgrims coming from all over China swarm there, lining up in long queues for mass. It is really a spectacular sight.