Our Lady Cathedral, Shanghai, Eastern Orthodox cathedral in Xuhui District, Shanghai, China.
Our Lady Cathedral is a Russian Byzantine-style Orthodox church on Xinle Road in Shanghai's Xuhui District, completed in 1936. Its square plan encloses a Greek-cross hall, and its roof carries one large and four small onion domes in peacock blue, the main dome rising 35 metres above cream-white walls. A three-storey bishop's residence once stood to the south.
The cathedral was built in the 1930s for the Russian Orthodox community that had settled in Shanghai after fleeing the Russian Revolution of 1917. At that time, Shanghai was home to a large number of Russian emigrants who established their own churches, schools, and social clubs across the city.
The cathedral is no longer used for worship: it closed in 1965 and later housed a warehouse, a stock exchange, restaurants and a nightclub. Since the 2007 restoration it has served as an exhibition hall. A one-off Easter service was held on 28 April 2019 with several hundred believers, with local authorities' permission.
The church is a short walk from Changshu Road metro station, served by lines 1 and 7, making it easy to reach from the city center. The surrounding streets on Xinle Road are pleasant to walk through, and several other historic buildings are close by.
The cathedral is closed for worship; the last service, a one-off Easter liturgy, was held on 28 April 2019 with the permission of local authorities. Since restoration it has served as an exhibition hall, and in May 2014 hosted a photo exhibition, "Russians in Shanghai: the 1930s", during Vladimir Putin's visit to China.
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