The Sheshan Catholic Church in
Shanghai, dubbed as the Largest Church in the Far East, is located at the top of
Xisheshan Mountain. It was first established by a French missionary in 1871, and
was restored several times. The existing church is the one after the expansion
in 1925.
This church follows the baroque style,
whereas parts of the materials and ornaments adopt Chinese traditional
architecture techniques. It is a work of the crystallization of oriental and
western cultures. With a harmonic and natural outline, the Sheshan Catholic
Church is in harmony with the hill on which it lies. The layout of the church is
like a Latin cross. There are 3,000 seats in the church, and it can accommodate
up to 4,000 people.
The front altar is made of marbles. The
windows are made of colorful glass, and the top is covered with color-glazed
tiles. Eight big bells are arrayed in the bell tower in the order of notes. The
tower is 38 meters high, and there is a copper Madonna sculpture of over 8
meters high.
The pope named the Sheshan Catholic Church
as the Holy Palace in 1942, which made it a Holy Land for pilgrimage of Chinese
Catholics. There are 14 Kulu (bitter-road) pavilions in the winding alley
that stretches from the foot to the peak of the mountain, with an embossment of
Jesus suffering in each pavilion, as well as three holy pavilions and a hall.
Adherents walk along the winding alley when they come to Sheshan Mountain for
pilgrimage.