Among all the old churches in Beijing, the Holy Saviour's Cathedral on Tonglinge Road, Xicheng District, has its own unique features. It is a combination of Chinese and Western cultures.
In 1862, British Anglican missionaries John Shaw Burdon and Samuel Isaac Schereschewsky came to Beijing to preach the gospel. Together they translated the Bible, published The Book of Common Prayer, and established the first church in Beijing. With the development of Anglican church structure, the North China diocese was founded in 1880, with the bishop of the diocese located in Beijing.
The Holy Saviour's Cathedral was originally the private residence of Yin Keting, an official who worked in the Criminal Department of the Qing Government. At the beginning of the 20th century, the bishop of North China, Charles Perry Scott, liked this place and tried his best to purchase the land and build a church there. In 1907, the church was officially opened, becoming the main Episcopal church in northern China and home to the Anglican bishop.
In the early years of the Republic of China, after registration with the Beijing government, the buildings and land of the Anglican Church officially became the property of the Chinese Anglican church. The architectural style of the Church of the Saviour represents the retro style of Beijing churches in the 20th century. The architectural materials of the church are black bricks and grey pantiles, which give it the charm of traditional Chinese architecture. The church is skillfully fused with the cultural environment of the ancient capital of Beijing.
The layout and structural details of the church are typically European. The layout of the building is double Latin crosses. The north-south main axis of the building adopted a Basilica design. There are two horizontal wings running from east to west, with a larger one in the south and a smaller one in the north. At the intersection of the north-south main axis of the church and the two east-west wings, there are Chinese octagonal pavilions which function as bell tower and skylight of the church. It reflects the integration of Chinese and Western culture. The architecture is an example of the Sinicization of Christianity.
The gate of the church is in Chinese style, with inscribed tablets on both sides and the top. The right part is "the hall of God", the left part is "the gate of heaven", and the horizontal tablet has the words "respectable and august". On the front wall of the church, there are four steles which give witness to past history. The first stele was erected in 1918 in memory of the chairman of Chinese Episcopal church, Berisha. The second one was set up in 1928 by all the believers in the north China diocese. It is set up in memory of bishop Charles Perry Scott who founded the church. The third one is a monument to Francis Lushington Norris, erected in 1946. The fourth one is a memorial to the return of Hong Kong to China in 1997, made possible by the Saiweng Information Company. The four steles represent different time periods, a whisper of past history to those who come to visit the church.
The internal structure of the church is also a model of the unification of Chinese and Western architectural styles. The foundations are in typical Chinese architectural style, with wooden columns and trusses to support the roof load and wooden floors laid on the ground. The altar is set up before the church plane cross. The altar is also made of wood, and is surrounded by Chinese annatto fence, which is carved with flowers and grasses. Behind the altar there is a Chinese style ice lattice partition. The altar furnishings are all traditional Chinese annatto furniture.
After the 1950s, the Anglican church withdrew from mainland China and the church ceased to be used. In the 1990s, the Saiweng Information and Consulting Center carried out the renovation process to restore the old building on the principle of "repair the old as the old". In 2003, the church was listed as a cultural relic protection site in Beijing.
The Cathedral is now a bookstore that allows people to savor the charm of the old church while enjoying the pleasure of reading.
北京圣公会救主堂
在北京的老教堂中，位于西城区佟麟阁路的中华圣公会救主堂颇具特色。她是一座中西合璧的教堂。
1862年，英国圣公会传教士包尔腾与施约瑟来到北京宣教，并一起翻译《圣经》，出版《教会祷文》，并在此建立了北京最早的圣公会教堂。随着教务的发展，英国圣公会于1880年成立华北教区，北京是教区主教座堂的所在地。
而现在救主教堂所在地原为清政府邢部官员殷柯庭的私宅，二十世纪初，华北教区主教史嘉乐看中了这段地方，遂想方设法把土地搞到手，在此修建教堂。1907年，教堂正式投入使用，这里就是中华圣公会华北教区的总堂及主教座堂。
民国初年，经过在北洋政府登记，英利甘教堂建筑及土地正式成为中华圣公会教产。救主堂的建筑风格代表了二十世纪后，北京教堂的复古主义风格，建筑材料选用中式的青砖、灰筒瓦使得教堂整体风格颇具中国传统建筑的韵味，与古都北京的人文环境巧妙地融为一体。
当然，教堂建筑平面以及细节的处理却均为典型的欧洲建筑风格。其建筑平面为双拉丁十字形，南北走向的建筑主轴采取巴西利卡设计，两道东西走向的横翼，南侧的一道规模较大，亦采用巴西利卡设计，北侧一条比较短小。在南北走向的教堂主轴与两条东西走向的横翼的交点各自建有一座中式八角亭子作为教堂的钟楼和天窗。体现了中西两种文化的交融，是基督教中国化在建筑上的典型风格。
教堂大门采用中式风格，两侧和上面雕刻有匾额，右款为“此城真主殿”，左款为“此乃上天门”，横批是“可敬可畏”。教堂的正面墙体上，镶有四块碑，见证了教堂的沧桑往事。第一块是救世主教堂信徒1918年为纪念中华圣公会会长伯里夏而立；第二块是1928年时华北教区全体信徒为纪念创建救世主教堂的史嘉乐主教而立；第三块是1946年为鄂方智立的纪念碑；第四块是1997年香港塞翁信息公司重修纪念。四块碑刻建立于不同时代，向前来参观的人，讲述教堂走过的历史。
而教堂的内部结构也同样是中西建筑风格统一的典范，其承重结构均为典型的中国式建筑风格，以木柱、桁架支撑屋顶荷载，地面铺设木质地板。教堂平面十字处设立圣坛，圣坛亦为木质，四周围以中式红木围栏，雕有花草装饰，圣餐桌背后设有中式冰纹格子隔扇，圣坛摆设均为传统中国红木家具。
五十年代后，圣公会从中国大陆撤离，教堂也停止了使用。上世纪九十年代，塞翁信息咨询中心对教堂进行修缮过程，以修旧如旧的原则，修复这座老建筑。2003年中华圣公会救主堂列名北京市文物保护单位。
目前救主教堂成为一家书店，让人们在享受阅读乐趣的同时，品味这座老教堂的魅力。
Among all the old churches in Beijing, the Holy Saviour's Cathedral on Tonglinge Road, Xicheng District, has its own unique features. It is a combination of Chinese and Western cultures.
In 1862, British Anglican missionaries John Shaw Burdon and Samuel Isaac Schereschewsky came to Beijing to preach the gospel. Together they translated the Bible, published The Book of Common Prayer, and established the first church in Beijing. With the development of Anglican church structure, the North China diocese was founded in 1880, with the bishop of the diocese located in Beijing.
The Holy Saviour's Cathedral was originally the private residence of Yin Keting, an official who worked in the Criminal Department of the Qing Government. At the beginning of the 20th century, the bishop of North China, Charles Perry Scott, liked this place and tried his best to purchase the land and build a church there. In 1907, the church was officially opened, becoming the main Episcopal church in northern China and home to the Anglican bishop.
In the early years of the Republic of China, after registration with the Beijing government, the buildings and land of the Anglican Church officially became the property of the Chinese Anglican church. The architectural style of the Church of the Saviour represents the retro style of Beijing churches in the 20th century. The architectural materials of the church are black bricks and grey pantiles, which give it the charm of traditional Chinese architecture. The church is skillfully fused with the cultural environment of the ancient capital of Beijing.
The layout and structural details of the church are typically European. The layout of the building is double Latin crosses. The north-south main axis of the building adopted a Basilica design. There are two horizontal wings running from east to west, with a larger one in the south and a smaller one in the north. At the intersection of the north-south main axis of the church and the two east-west wings, there are Chinese octagonal pavilions which function as bell tower and skylight of the church. It reflects the integration of Chinese and Western culture. The architecture is an example of the Sinicization of Christianity.
The gate of the church is in Chinese style, with inscribed tablets on both sides and the top. The right part is "the hall of God", the left part is "the gate of heaven", and the horizontal tablet has the words "respectable and august". On the front wall of the church, there are four steles which give witness to past history. The first stele was erected in 1918 in memory of the chairman of Chinese Episcopal church, Berisha. The second one was set up in 1928 by all the believers in the north China diocese. It is set up in memory of bishop Charles Perry Scott who founded the church. The third one is a monument to Francis Lushington Norris, erected in 1946. The fourth one is a memorial to the return of Hong Kong to China in 1997, made possible by the Saiweng Information Company. The four steles represent different time periods, a whisper of past history to those who come to visit the church.
The internal structure of the church is also a model of the unification of Chinese and Western architectural styles. The foundations are in typical Chinese architectural style, with wooden columns and trusses to support the roof load and wooden floors laid on the ground. The altar is set up before the church plane cross. The altar is also made of wood, and is surrounded by Chinese annatto fence, which is carved with flowers and grasses. Behind the altar there is a Chinese style ice lattice partition. The altar furnishings are all traditional Chinese annatto furniture.
After the 1950s, the Anglican church withdrew from mainland China and the church ceased to be used. In the 1990s, the Saiweng Information and Consulting Center carried out the renovation process to restore the old building on the principle of "repair the old as the old". In 2003, the church was listed as a cultural relic protection site in Beijing.
The Cathedral is now a bookstore that allows people to savor the charm of the old church while enjoying the pleasure of reading.
Church Tour: Beijing St. Saviour's Cathedral
