Among the four major Catholic churches in Beijing, Xishiku Church is the largest one. This church is commonly known as the "The North Church" and is now the cathedral of the Catholic Diocese of Beijing.
The establishment of the Xishiku Church is quite legendary. Emperor Kangxi, who was always busy with the nation’s politics, suddenly fell ill and asked many doctors for help, but there was no cure. At last, two Jesuits, Jean de Fontaney and Claude de Visdelou (one source said Jean-Francois Gerbillon and Joachim Bouvet) offered the medicine called Quinine, and the emperor was healed. The missionaries could have asked for material rewards for helping to heal the emperor’s illness, but instead, they asked to build churches and spread the gospel instead. So Emperor Kangxi assigned a section of land on which the Jesuits could build a church. The church was finished in 1703 and named the Church of the Savior. Kangxi's donated a plaque for the newly-built church on which was written: "Wan You Zhen Yuan" (All things have their true origins), which shows his support for Catholicism at that time.
But the good times did not last long. Because of the dispute between China and the West over customary rituals, the Qing dynasty launched a 100-year ban on religion. Although the Church of the Savior was opened during the Yongzheng and Qianlong Periods, in the seven years of the Daoguang Period, the North Church was confiscated and demolished. But with the outbreak of the Opium War, the 100-year ban on religion ended. After the Second Opium War, the Catholic Church was again given the site of the North Church.
In 1868, Bishop Joseph-MartialMouly C.M. built a Gothic structure on the original site of the North Church. However, from the Forbidden City the Empress Dowager Cixi was very dissatisfied with the sound of the church bell and the height of the building. So she negotiated with the church and asked them to move to Xishiku. The Qing government funded the construction of a new church. In this way, the North Church came to Xishiku and was completed in 1888.
In the Boxer Rebellion, more than 10,000 Boxers and the Qing army besieged the Xishiku Church, but in the two-month battle, they could not conquer it. Although the Xishiku Church was damaged, it was not destroyed. After the Boxer Rebellion, the North Church was rebuilt in its current architectural style.
During the "Xiantang Xianmiao" (Offering the hall and the temple) Movement in 1958, the Xishiku Church was forced to close. Many precious books and documents collected in the church were taken out of the church and handed over to the Beijing Library. By 1985 the new religious policy was implemented, the Xishiku Church was repaired, and the mass was restored. In 1984, Xishiku Church was listed as a cultural relics protection site in Beijing, and in June 2006, it was listed in the sixth group of national key cultural relic sites.
The Xishiku Church is a typical Gothic building. The lobby has a cruciform shape, with a construction area of about 2200 square meters, a height of 16.5 meters, and the bell tower spire is about 31 meters high. There is a platform in front of the hall, white marble jade railings on three sides, and the main altar, suffering hall and chanting tower in the lobby. On both sides of the main entrance of the lobby, there are two Chinese-style pavilions. The buildings belonging to the North Church include a monastery, library, rear garden, printing house, orphanage, hospital, Guanghua Girls' High School, and a residence for priests.
There are three pointed arch entrances on the south facade of the North Church. Inside the church, a giant column supports the golden vault, surrounded by 80 stained glass windows. There is an oil painting of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus in the hall, but the Virgin Mary and Jesus are wearing the clothes of the empress and emperors of the Qing Dynasty, which is an example of incorporating Chinese characteristics into Christian artwork.
- Translated by Kevin Feng
教堂巡礼：北京西什库教堂
在北京四大天主堂中，西什库教堂的规模最大。这座教堂俗称“北堂”，是现在天主教北京教区的主教座堂。
西什库教堂的建立，颇具有传奇性。日理万机的康熙皇帝忽然病倒了，求问了很多医生都没效果。结果两位耶稣会士洪若与刘应（一说张诚、白晋）进献奎宁，使皇帝得到了痊愈。治好了康熙的病，自然要获得奖赏，可传教士却要修建教堂，传播福音。于是康熙皇帝就将皇一块地皮划归了耶稣会。教堂于1703年落成，取名为救世主教堂。康熙为新建的教堂御题匾额“万有真源”，足见他当时对天主教的支持。
可好景不长，因为中西礼仪之争的爆发，清朝发动了百年禁教。尽管雍正、乾隆时期，救世主教堂得以开放，但在道光七年，北堂被没收、拆除。可不久随着鸦片战争的爆发，百年禁教自动结束。而在第二次鸦片战争后，天主教会要回了北堂的产业。
1868年，孟振生主教在北堂原址修建一座哥特式建筑，但由于教堂钟声发出的声响，以及建筑高度可以窥见紫禁城，这让慈禧太后颇为不满。于是与教会交涉，要求其把教堂迁往西什库，清政府出资修建新教堂。就这样北堂来到了西什库安家，并于1888年落成。
庚子事变中，一万多义和团民与清军围攻西什库教堂，但在两个月的战斗中，居然无法攻占，虽然西什库教堂遭到破坏，但并未被捣毁。庚子之后，北堂经过重建，成为现在的建筑样式。
在1958年的“献堂献庙”运动中，西什库教堂被迫关闭。教内收藏的诸多珍贵图书、文献，被运出教堂移交北京图书馆收藏。直到1985年，宗教政策得到落实，西什库教堂得到修缮，并恢复了弥撒。1984年西什库教堂被列为北京市文物保护单位，2006年6月被列为第六批全国重点文物保护单位。
西什库教堂是典型的哥特式建筑，大堂平面呈十字架形状，建筑面积约2200平方米，高16．5米，钟楼塔尖高约31米。堂前有月台，三面有汉白玉石栏杆，大堂内有主祭台、苦难堂和唱经楼。而在大堂正门两旁，有中国式建筑碑亭两座。北堂所属建筑包括修道院、图书馆、后花园、印刷厂、孤儿院、医院、光华女中以及神父楼等。
北堂南立面有三个尖拱券入口，进入堂内，一根根巨柱撑起金色拱顶，四周是80扇镶彩色玻璃的花窗。堂内有一幅圣母抱着耶稣的油画，然而圣母和耶稣穿的却是清朝皇太后与皇帝的衣服，不细看还以为画的是中国皇太后与小皇帝，这是基督宗教在艺术上中国化的典型例证。
Among the four major Catholic churches in Beijing, Xishiku Church is the largest one. This church is commonly known as the "The North Church" and is now the cathedral of the Catholic Diocese of Beijing.
The establishment of the Xishiku Church is quite legendary. Emperor Kangxi, who was always busy with the nation’s politics, suddenly fell ill and asked many doctors for help, but there was no cure. At last, two Jesuits, Jean de Fontaney and Claude de Visdelou (one source said Jean-Francois Gerbillon and Joachim Bouvet) offered the medicine called Quinine, and the emperor was healed. The missionaries could have asked for material rewards for helping to heal the emperor’s illness, but instead, they asked to build churches and spread the gospel instead. So Emperor Kangxi assigned a section of land on which the Jesuits could build a church. The church was finished in 1703 and named the Church of the Savior. Kangxi's donated a plaque for the newly-built church on which was written: "Wan You Zhen Yuan" (All things have their true origins), which shows his support for Catholicism at that time.
But the good times did not last long. Because of the dispute between China and the West over customary rituals, the Qing dynasty launched a 100-year ban on religion. Although the Church of the Savior was opened during the Yongzheng and Qianlong Periods, in the seven years of the Daoguang Period, the North Church was confiscated and demolished. But with the outbreak of the Opium War, the 100-year ban on religion ended. After the Second Opium War, the Catholic Church was again given the site of the North Church.
In 1868, Bishop Joseph-MartialMouly C.M. built a Gothic structure on the original site of the North Church. However, from the Forbidden City the Empress Dowager Cixi was very dissatisfied with the sound of the church bell and the height of the building. So she negotiated with the church and asked them to move to Xishiku. The Qing government funded the construction of a new church. In this way, the North Church came to Xishiku and was completed in 1888.
In the Boxer Rebellion, more than 10,000 Boxers and the Qing army besieged the Xishiku Church, but in the two-month battle, they could not conquer it. Although the Xishiku Church was damaged, it was not destroyed. After the Boxer Rebellion, the North Church was rebuilt in its current architectural style.
During the "Xiantang Xianmiao" (Offering the hall and the temple) Movement in 1958, the Xishiku Church was forced to close. Many precious books and documents collected in the church were taken out of the church and handed over to the Beijing Library. By 1985 the new religious policy was implemented, the Xishiku Church was repaired, and the mass was restored. In 1984, Xishiku Church was listed as a cultural relics protection site in Beijing, and in June 2006, it was listed in the sixth group of national key cultural relic sites.
The Xishiku Church is a typical Gothic building. The lobby has a cruciform shape, with a construction area of about 2200 square meters, a height of 16.5 meters, and the bell tower spire is about 31 meters high. There is a platform in front of the hall, white marble jade railings on three sides, and the main altar, suffering hall and chanting tower in the lobby. On both sides of the main entrance of the lobby, there are two Chinese-style pavilions. The buildings belonging to the North Church include a monastery, library, rear garden, printing house, orphanage, hospital, Guanghua Girls' High School, and a residence for priests.
There are three pointed arch entrances on the south facade of the North Church. Inside the church, a giant column supports the golden vault, surrounded by 80 stained glass windows. There is an oil painting of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus in the hall, but the Virgin Mary and Jesus are wearing the clothes of the empress and emperors of the Qing Dynasty, which is an example of incorporating Chinese characteristics into Christian artwork.
- Translated by Kevin Feng
Church Tour: Beijing North Catholic Church
