St. Joseph's Cathedral, Chongqing, Gothic Revival cathedral in Yuzhong District, Chongqing, China
St. Joseph's Cathedral stands on St Joseph Lane off Minsheng Road in Yuzhong District, covering 1,700 square metres and seating over 1,000 people. Its square clock tower, built in 1917 under the French priest Meng Dong, rises 36 metres and holds three hanging bells and a large clock. Ivy covers the stone walls.
French missionaries from the Paris Foreign Missions Society started construction in 1879, finishing the main building in 1891 and adding the bell tower four years later. This phased development reflects the ongoing support from overseas religious communities over more than a decade.
The name honours Saint Joseph, patron of the church, and Mass is celebrated three times each Sunday. The building was listed as a municipal cultural relic on 19 March 1992, the saint's feast day, and again among the first batch of Chongqing protected sites on 7 September 2000.
The cathedral stands at No. 1 St. Joseph Lane, off Minsheng Road in Yuzhong District, and holds Mass Monday to Saturday at 7 a.m. and Sunday at 6:30 a.m., 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Visitors should dress modestly and avoid entering during services.
The square clock tower was added in 1917 under the French priest Meng Dong, reaches 36 metres and holds three hanging bells and a large clock. The church itself was damaged by Japanese bombing during the War of Resistance and repaired in August 1946 with funds from the Nationalist government.
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