I saw Chinese elements in Baoding Catholic Church.

On the way to Daci Pavilion, I happened to see the mass at the Catholic Church just ended. I thought it was rare to see a church building with a combination of Chinese and Western styles, so I took a closer look while the crowd was dispersing.

Baoding Catholic Church is not in the C position on Yuhua Street, but among a group of traditional Chinese ancient buildings, it is also difficult to ignore its existence. It is in an excellent location, with the Governor's Office of Zhili on the right, and the Ancient Lotus Pond facing each other, forming a character with the three ancient sites. Looking back at it in Daci Pavilion, the simple and rough bricks and stones, and the red walls and gray tiles are surprisingly harmonious in the same frame.

It is a Romanesque church built in 1905. Interestingly, there are many Chinese elements in this Western-style building. The brick carvings on the outer wall have lotus flowers, lotus leaves, cranes, and cloud patterns, and the 14 tall and eye-catching columns inside are also Chinese red. Now on the exhibition board on the west side of the church, the "Ode to the Cross" by Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty is also written. It seems that the French priest who built this place spent a lot of thought.

The century-old church has experienced a century of wind and rain. The current Baoding Catholic Church still has a vast dome and dazzling stained glass stories. In 2023, it was included in the "Eighth Batch of Chinese 20th Century Architectural Heritage."

Post by TastyTemptations | Nov 14, 2024