Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral, Catholic cathedral in Kunming, China.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral was a Catholic church at the northwest corner of the Beijing Road and Tuodong Road intersection in Panlong District, Kunming, next to Tangzixiang metro station. The 1937 church, dedicated to Thérèse of Lisieux, covered about 440 square metres and held 500 people. It was demolished in 2009; a 2018 reconstruction with a dome, round arches and stained glass was torn down in 2021 as an illegal structure.
In 1881 the Yunnan diocese moved its cathedral seat from Longxi in Yanjin County to Pingzheng Street in Kunming. In 1935 Bishop Yong Shouzheng began a new cathedral on Taihe Street, completed in 1937 and dedicated to Thérèse of Lisieux, with about 440 square metres of floor space seating 500. Reopened in 1981 as the Sacred Heart of Jesus, it was demolished in 2009 and rebuilt from 2010, finished in 2018, then torn down in 2021 as illegal construction.
The 1937 church, dedicated to Thérèse of Lisieux, was known as Delesa Church or Taihe Street Catholic Church; it reopened in 1981 as the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church. The rebuilt 2018 cathedral was demolished in 2021 as an illegal structure, and Catholic activity in Kunming moved to the Catholic Patriotic Association compound on Huashan East Road.
The cathedral no longer exists: the 2018 reconstruction was demolished in 2021 as an illegal structure, so there is nothing to visit at the Beijing Road/Tuodong Road corner. Catholic activity in Kunming moved to the courtyard of the Catholic Patriotic Association on Huashan East Road. The site is beside Tangzixiang metro station.
The building was constructed using materials and techniques from the local area, giving it a distinct character despite its European-inspired design. This combination makes it a notable example of how external influences merged with what was available nearby.
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