Christianity in Nanjing as regards architecture is reflected in the enormous significance of three structures in particular, each remarkable for having survived until this day.
Capable of simultaneously accommodating over 1,000 worshipers, Nanjing Christian Mochou Lu Church (南京基督教莫愁路堂; below left) was formerly known as the “Hanzhong Hall”.
This predecessor was a chapel, built in 1882 by Mr. and Mrs. Waley and Mrs. Li Man of the North American Presbyterian Church.
Demolished in 1934 due to the then-necessary expansion of what is now Mochou Lu, and with funds raised to build a new church, the design in part adopted the architectural style of 16th Century Tudor England.
The result was this Gothic two-story building embodying Western and Republican-era architectural nuances, connected out front to a four-story square castle bell tower.
The Tudor influence is felt inside especially, with a hammerbeam roof over a high central hall with low side aisles.
With construction beginning in 1936 and completed 2 years later, white Marble plaques with inscriptions abound; one by General Feng Yuxiang in the southwest corner stands out in particular; “Because the one who laid the foundation is Jesus Christ”.
Meanwhile, the monogram on the front of the Catholic Church on Shigu Lu (石鼓路天主堂; above top), also known as the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception Nanjing, is the acronym of the Latin “Ave Maria”, or “Hail Mary”.
Built in 1870, the Church is a rare example of Romanesque architecture in Nanjing, with that appearance continuing in the interior, where the limited technology of the day meant a Chinese wooden roof frame was utilised, made to look Roman by the addition of curved wooden components.
Now a Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit, the Church has also been selected as one of the “Ten Most Beautiful Churches in China”.
Roman influences are also to be found in the Gothic architecture that constitutes Nanjing St. Paul’s Church (南京圣保罗堂; above right) on Taiping Nan Lu.
Built in 1913, funds for its construction were secured by missionary Ji Mengji, who solicited a donation from an American Anglican, made in the memory of his son who had given his life in World War I.
Inside, visitors are greeted by beautiful frescoes, ornate wooden pews, distinctive chandeliers and a majestic altar, which works to great effect.
All in all, it’s a visually stunning and spiritually uplifting space that radiates a sense of calm and reverence, somewhat appropriate given St. Paul’s is our City’s earliest existent Protestant church.
