A few days ago, when I passed through Guluo Village, Quting Town, Hongtong County, Shanxi Province, I saw a towering Gothic Catholic church on the south side of the road that has unique characteristics. It is particularly eye-catching. The whole building is built of red bricks. It stands on a high slope, with the Fen’anze section of national highway 309 in the front, and the Expressway from Qingdao to Lanzhou in the back.
Built on a high slope, one needs to look up to see the whole view. This symbolizes that you have to look up to the almighty God to show your devotion. To reach the front door, you need to ascend at a forty or fifty-degree angle, just as the believer of God must strive upward to reach Him. At the top of the gate is a ten-meter-high steeple, topped with a towering cross. Below the tower is a bell tower inscribed with three powerful official characters, namely "Tian Zhu Tang (Catholic Church)". The second floor is constructed as an arch structure made of bricks, following the local Shanxi structure of a cave-dwelling. The door is triangular in shape. In the middle of the door, there is a circle with a cross in the middle. Under the cross is inscribed words "JHS" (For Jesus hominum salvato in Latin). An antithetical couplet is engraved in gold characters on black background. The first line of the couplet is "The world is refreshed with the extraordinary splendour due to the endless love of God". The second line is "The universe is filled with wonderful light because of the mighty power of the Father". Both sides of the wall are inscribed with slogans. They are "Spread the teachings of Jesus" and "Promote the spirit of Christ". After entering the courtyard, one has to walk up dozens of steps to enter the chapel.
It is a pity that the door is locked because of the epidemic and we cannot visit. Looking around and through the iron gate, you can see green trees in and out of the courtyard, with lush vegetation all over, which makes for a unique scene in the quiet village. Occasionally, cars roar past, bringing people back to the hustle and bustle of modern civilization.
According to the data, Guluo Village(古罗), originally named Guluo(古逻) Village, was a town in the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was located at the junction of Southeast Hongdong County and Guxian County and was a transportation hub and a military stronghold to southeast Jin. It got its name for being a checkpoint and patrol station.
The village is 25 kilometers away from Hongdong county and 15 kilometers away from Quting Town. It has 7 groups of villagers with a total of more than 2,000 people. The shape of the village boundary is like a phoenix. In the village, there are two pools and a locust tree that is one hundred years old. During the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression in 1938, General Zuoquan set up his headquarters in the village to command a battle in which Japanese troops were ambushed on August 26. The battle was a complete victory.
There are 200 Catholics in the village. It is unknown when the Gospel was first preached here. The first Catholic villager had the surname of Gao. During the Republic of China, a church was built. But later it was demolished by the Japanese during the Anti-Japanese War. After the reform and opening up, the church was rebuilt, and the church of God is refreshed with a new look. Many of the gates are inscribed with words like "Blessed by God" and "The glory of God is overflowing", indicating their persistent pursuit of faith.
(The author of this article is an elder of a church in Shanxi.)
洪洞交通要塞上的一座乡村天主堂
日前，笔者途径山西省洪洞县曲亭镇古罗村，只见路南侧以一座巍然高耸的哥特式天主教堂独具特色，格外引人注目。整体建筑红砖建造，矗立于高坡之上，前临309国道临汾安泽段，后依青岛至兰州高速公路。
教堂建在高土坡上，需要仰视才能观全貌，显示对全能上主的仰望。到达门前，需爬上四五十度的大斜坡，正像寻求神的人需要竭力向上追求，才能到主面前。大门顶层为十几米高的尖顶塔楼，高耸十字架，塔下钟楼镌刻“天主堂”三个遒劲有力的隶书大字。二层为半圆形砖券，采用了山西本土特色的窑洞元素，下面门楣为三角形结构，中圆圈镌刻十字架下有“JHS”（拉丁文jesus hominum salvato）字样，两侧镌刻对联为黑底金字，上联为“乾坤焕异彩惟赖上主施厚爱，”下联为“宇宙射奇光仰凭天父显全能”(把意思翻译出来即可)，两侧墙壁还镌刻“传播耶稣圣训”“弘扬基督精神”标语。进入院内还需拾阶而上，登上数十台阶才能进入礼拜堂。
因为疫情大门紧锁，未能造访，实为憾事。透过铁门环望四围，院内外绿树掩映，花木竞秀，在略显静谧的小山村成为一道独特风景，庄严肃穆令人心生敬畏。偶有汽车轰鸣呼啸而过，使人重新回到现代文明的喧嚣中。
查阅资料得知，古罗村原名叫古逻村，明清为镇，地处洪洞县东南与古县交界处，是去往晋东南的交通要塞和军事要地。因常在此设关卡巡逻而得名。
该村距洪洞县城25公里，距曲亭镇15公里，下辖7个村民小组，共2000余人。村界状若凤凰，村中有水泊两个，有一株百年古槐树。1938年抗日战争时期，8月26日左权将军曾在村中设伏指挥战役，抗击日军大获全胜。
村中有200人信仰天主教。传入时间不详，最初信奉天主教为高姓村民，民国期间曾经教堂一座，抗战中被日寇拆毁。改革开放后又重建此堂，天主圣堂又焕发新风采。许多院落大门上镌刻“天主赐福”“神恩盈门”的字样，也昭示了他们对信仰的追求。
注：本文作者系山西一教会的长老。
A few days ago, when I passed through Guluo Village, Quting Town, Hongtong County, Shanxi Province, I saw a towering Gothic Catholic church on the south side of the road that has unique characteristics. It is particularly eye-catching. The whole building is built of red bricks. It stands on a high slope, with the Fen’anze section of national highway 309 in the front, and the Expressway from Qingdao to Lanzhou in the back.
Built on a high slope, one needs to look up to see the whole view. This symbolizes that you have to look up to the almighty God to show your devotion. To reach the front door, you need to ascend at a forty or fifty-degree angle, just as the believer of God must strive upward to reach Him. At the top of the gate is a ten-meter-high steeple, topped with a towering cross. Below the tower is a bell tower inscribed with three powerful official characters, namely "Tian Zhu Tang (Catholic Church)". The second floor is constructed as an arch structure made of bricks, following the local Shanxi structure of a cave-dwelling. The door is triangular in shape. In the middle of the door, there is a circle with a cross in the middle. Under the cross is inscribed words "JHS" (For Jesus hominum salvato in Latin). An antithetical couplet is engraved in gold characters on black background. The first line of the couplet is "The world is refreshed with the extraordinary splendour due to the endless love of God". The second line is "The universe is filled with wonderful light because of the mighty power of the Father". Both sides of the wall are inscribed with slogans. They are "Spread the teachings of Jesus" and "Promote the spirit of Christ". After entering the courtyard, one has to walk up dozens of steps to enter the chapel.
It is a pity that the door is locked because of the epidemic and we cannot visit. Looking around and through the iron gate, you can see green trees in and out of the courtyard, with lush vegetation all over, which makes for a unique scene in the quiet village. Occasionally, cars roar past, bringing people back to the hustle and bustle of modern civilization.
According to the data, Guluo Village(古罗), originally named Guluo(古逻) Village, was a town in the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was located at the junction of Southeast Hongdong County and Guxian County and was a transportation hub and a military stronghold to southeast Jin. It got its name for being a checkpoint and patrol station.
The village is 25 kilometers away from Hongdong county and 15 kilometers away from Quting Town. It has 7 groups of villagers with a total of more than 2,000 people. The shape of the village boundary is like a phoenix. In the village, there are two pools and a locust tree that is one hundred years old. During the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression in 1938, General Zuoquan set up his headquarters in the village to command a battle in which Japanese troops were ambushed on August 26. The battle was a complete victory.
There are 200 Catholics in the village. It is unknown when the Gospel was first preached here. The first Catholic villager had the surname of Gao. During the Republic of China, a church was built. But later it was demolished by the Japanese during the Anti-Japanese War. After the reform and opening up, the church was rebuilt, and the church of God is refreshed with a new look. Many of the gates are inscribed with words like "Blessed by God" and "The glory of God is overflowing", indicating their persistent pursuit of faith.
(The author of this article is an elder of a church in Shanxi.)
A Rural Cathedral in Transportation Hub of Hongtong County
