Urakami Cathedral, Catholic cathedral in Urakami district, Nagasaki, Japan
Urakami Cathedral is a Catholic church in the Urakami district of Nagasaki, showing the features of Romanesque Revival architecture with red bricks and rounded arches. Stained glass windows let light into the interior, while the towers rise over 50 meters into the air.
The church was completed in 1895 and was at the time the largest Catholic cathedral in East Asia. During the atomic bomb explosion on August 9, 1945, it was completely destroyed, but from 1959 onward it was rebuilt following the original plans.
The Urakami name recalls the district where Christians gathered and prayed in secret for centuries when their religion was banned. Today people come here to visit a site that bears witness to this long tradition and continues to host regular services.
The building is open daily between 9 AM and 5 PM, allowing visitors to enter the interior and view the displayed artifacts. Guided tours can be arranged in advance, and on certain days religious services take place during which access may be limited.
Some statues that survived the explosion still bear visible traces of the heat and shockwave today. The Virgin Mary figure from the original building was placed inside after reconstruction and draws many visitors.
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