St John's Cathedral, Anglican cathedral in Central, Hong Kong.
St John's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Central, Hong Kong, standing as the only remaining colonial church building in the business district. The stone walls, pointed arches and stained glass windows follow the English Gothic style with a cross-shaped floor plan.
Construction was completed in 1849 and the building first served colonial administrators and residents as the first Anglican church in Hong Kong. The cathedral survived the Japanese occupation during World War II and has remained a place of worship ever since.
The cathedral is dedicated to Saint John the Evangelist, not John the Baptist. Worship is held daily, mainly in English, with services also in Cantonese, Mandarin and Filipino for a congregation drawn from many countries. On holy days the cathedral hosts sung eucharists, and ordinations for the Diocese of Hong Kong Island and the Macao mission area take place here.
The cathedral is located at 4-8 Garden Road and opens daily from 7 AM to 6 PM, with extended hours on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Visitors can enter the interior and view the pews, windows and altar when no service is taking place.
Beside the cathedral stands a memorial cross unveiled by Governor Reginald Edward Stubbs in 1921 for soldiers killed in the First World War. Reduced to a plain granite column under the Japanese occupation, it was replaced in 1952 by a Celtic cross inscribed with the dead of both world wars. Next to it lies the only grave in the precinct, that of Ronald Douglas Maxwell, killed in Wan Chai three days before the ceasefire.
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