One Wednesday in the autumn, I went for a walk in the ancient city Liaoyang, Liaoning Province. I saw a cross on top of a church building in the distance, and then I went into it.
Located at No. 18, West Sidao Street, the Catholic church is known to locals as “Sidao Street Catholic Church”. It also has an unofficial name - Liaoyang Jesus Sacred Heart Catholic Church.
According to A Survey of Religion in Liaoyang compiled by Ethnic and Religious Affairs Commission of Liaoyang City, Catholicism was introduced by French priests into the city in 1853. Liaoyang Catholic Church was subordinate to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Shenyang in 1924. The statistics in 1943 showed that there were 3,845 local Catholics, which was at its peak. However, the current number of followers is much fewer than before.
The current church building was reconstructed in 1903, the time after the original church was burned down during the Boxer Rebellion. In October 2014, the rebuilt building was listed as the ninth cultural relics protection site of the province, where lies the center of Catholicism in the city.
Covering an area of 7,100 square meters with a floorage of 4,210 square meters, the Gothic-style church is a combination of Chinese and western elements. The adjacent three-story bell tower was rebuilt in 1993, with a height of 33 meters.
The cyan stone bricks, sharp-angled archway, ribbed dome, and flying buttress form a complete architectural system. A stone plaque is hung on the south top, with three Chinese characters saying “Catholic Church” engraved on it. The main hall has a brick-wood structure with a floor construction of 480 square meters. There are eleven white pillars in two rows, dividing the space into three galleries. The painting of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is placed on the central altar in the north, while there are icons in two side altars in the east and in the west.
A two-story clergy house sits outside the church. A stone carving of the Bible is located on the other side. “Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto” presents a colorful statue of the Holy Mother.
(The article is originally published by Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Karen Luo
天秋日正中，水碧无尘埃。金秋之际，笔者来到古城辽宁省的辽阳市，在教会的事工结束后，步行一段路，远远看到一座高高耸立的十字架下的教堂建筑：辽阳天主教堂，于是信步前往拜访。
由于礼拜三教堂没有弥撒聚会，也恰逢午休，教堂大门紧锁，无法进入。我在教堂外面徘徊了几圈，拍了几张教堂的外景，再三犹豫之后还是大声的和里面的门卫打了招呼。感谢上帝！门卫听说我的来意后，为我打开门，并且引领我到教堂内部和外部参观、介绍。
当我结束简单的参观和拍摄，准备离开的时候，恰好教堂的负责人张海涛神父回来了。这是一位年轻的神父，我冒昧的和神父打了招呼，然后我们简单的交流了一会儿。
辽阳的天主教堂座落在辽阳市西四道街18号，所以辽阳人习惯叫做“四道街天主堂”，民间也有叫天主教辽阳耶稣圣心堂的。
天主教在辽阳的历史比较悠久。笔者在辽阳市灯塔教会查阅到辽阳市民族宗教委员会编撰的《辽阳市宗教志》记载：“1853年天主教传入辽阳。”由此推算，天主教在辽阳已有168年的历史。1924年辽阳天主教会归属奉天（今沈阳市）教区。据1943年统计，当时就有天主教信徒3,845人，达到了鼎盛。而现今，信教人数大不如从前。
我们今天看到的教堂是在义和团“反洋”运动将教堂焚毁之后，于清光绪二十九年(1903年)重建的，距今也有118年的历史。2014年10月，被确立为辽宁省第九批省级文物保护单位，现成为天主教辽阳市教会所在地，也是辽阳市天主教活动的中心。教堂占地面积7,100平方米，建筑面积4,210平方米（见《辽阳宗教志》）。教堂地处辽阳市中心位置。
给我的感觉，教堂依旧保留着中西合璧的风格：哥特式的建筑，正门外接钟楼，钟楼三层，高33米，是1993年复建的。钟楼顶端上面是十字架，熠熠生辉，使人不得不仰视、感叹。教堂墙体建筑却是典型的中国青砖素面，尖角的拱门、肋形拱顶和飞拱，构成一个完整的建筑体系，南面上方挂置青石板，上刻有“天主堂”三个大字，内悬合金铜钟，远远可见，透着一种上帝同在的庄重、威严和神秘感。
钟楼下面北接是教堂的主堂，堂长40米，宽12米，高10米，建筑面积480平方米。砖木结构。正门对开，东西置侧门。我在门卫徐弟兄带领下由侧门进入圣殿主堂。主堂是中间两排有高9米、直径0.3米的白色的立柱，每侧11根，把室内分成三通廊式，两侧比中间要窄。屋顶3盏明灯悬吊室间，辉照3条通道。北面设祭台，正祭台置耶稣圣心像；东侧副祭台和西侧副祭台置有圣象，祭衣、花、蜡烛等祭品摆放有序，显得庄严肃穆，有一种使人不得不脚步轻轻、安静敬畏参观的感觉。
在教堂外面的一侧，有一白色为主体的蓝白相间二层楼，人们称为“牧师楼”，是神父们办公和休息的场所；主堂外面的另一侧，有一本打开的圣经石雕；在流水、鲜花和绿色植物覆盖下，设有“露德圣母山”，有彩色圣母雕像在里面。
从历史资料显示：辽阳天主教和中国其它天主教一样，在新中国建国初期以前，基本是由外国神父传道和管理。辽阳天主教主要是法国神父（见图片资料）。
岁月沧桑，百余年的辽阳天主堂，屹立岿然不动，默默地镌刻和昭示着基督教（天主教、新教、东正教）在中国的发展历程，见证上帝的荣耀和福音。“上主在他的圣殿里；他的宝座设在天上。”（诗篇11篇4节，现代中文译本圣经）阿们！
普天之下颂赞上帝，恩典无限福杯满溢！
（本文图文作者为福音时报特约撰稿人。）
拥有百余年历史的辽宁辽阳天主教堂
One Wednesday in the autumn, I went for a walk in the ancient city Liaoyang, Liaoning Province. I saw a cross on top of a church building in the distance, and then I went into it.
Located at No. 18, West Sidao Street, the Catholic church is known to locals as “Sidao Street Catholic Church”. It also has an unofficial name - Liaoyang Jesus Sacred Heart Catholic Church.
According to A Survey of Religion in Liaoyang compiled by Ethnic and Religious Affairs Commission of Liaoyang City, Catholicism was introduced by French priests into the city in 1853. Liaoyang Catholic Church was subordinate to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Shenyang in 1924. The statistics in 1943 showed that there were 3,845 local Catholics, which was at its peak. However, the current number of followers is much fewer than before.
The current church building was reconstructed in 1903, the time after the original church was burned down during the Boxer Rebellion. In October 2014, the rebuilt building was listed as the ninth cultural relics protection site of the province, where lies the center of Catholicism in the city.
Covering an area of 7,100 square meters with a floorage of 4,210 square meters, the Gothic-style church is a combination of Chinese and western elements. The adjacent three-story bell tower was rebuilt in 1993, with a height of 33 meters.
The cyan stone bricks, sharp-angled archway, ribbed dome, and flying buttress form a complete architectural system. A stone plaque is hung on the south top, with three Chinese characters saying “Catholic Church” engraved on it. The main hall has a brick-wood structure with a floor construction of 480 square meters. There are eleven white pillars in two rows, dividing the space into three galleries. The painting of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is placed on the central altar in the north, while there are icons in two side altars in the east and in the west.
A two-story clergy house sits outside the church. A stone carving of the Bible is located on the other side. “Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto” presents a colorful statue of the Holy Mother.
(The article is originally published by Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Karen Luo
Century-Old Catholic Church in Liaoning
