Cathedral Saint-Joseph, Roman Catholic cathedral in Wuhu, China
St. Joseph Cathedral is a Romanesque-style Catholic church at 28 Jihe Street in Wuhu's Jinghu District, built of brick with a 39-metre nave and twin bell towers 29 metres tall. It faces west with its back to Heshan hill and the Yangtze in front, and a 5-metre white marble statue of Jesus stands between the towers. Its floor area is 1,300 square metres.
French Jesuits led by Joseph Seckinger bought land at Heshan in 1883 and began the church in 1889; Bishop Garnier of the Jiangnan vicariate laid the foundation stone. In May 1891 the near-finished building was burned during the Wuhu incident, and a 120,000-tael indemnity funded a larger reconstruction on the same site, consecrated in June 1895. It became Anhui's first cathedral in 1921.
The cathedral functions as both a religious center for Catholic ceremonies and a gathering place for the Christian community in southeastern Anhui province.
The cathedral stands at 28 Jihe Street in Jinghu District, facing west with its back to Heshan hill and the river in front. Mass is held daily, at 6:30 am Monday to Friday and 8:00 am on Sundays. The twin bell towers rise 29 metres, and the 5-metre white marble statue of Jesus stands between them. Jihe Square, laid out in front of the church in 2000, is the open space from which to view the facade.
The 1891 attack was sparked by a rumour that a priest had kidnapped children and two nuns; the Gelaohui secret society led the crowd, which burned the cathedral, hospital and school and also attacked the British consulate. The Qing government then intervened, took control of the city and eliminated the ringleaders.
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