Xuanwumen Church, Xishiku Church, and Chongwenmen Church are all key protected cultural relics in Beijing. Among these historic churches, there is one that has not been used for worship but has been converted into a bookstore. This is the Holy Saviour's Cathedral.
As early as 1862, English Anglican missionary John Shaw Burdon came to Beijing to expand the church work. He established a church near the British Embassy to meet the spiritual needs of the community. Not long after, upon the recommendation of Thomas Francis Wade, Burdon began working at the Tongwen Guan (or the School of Combined Learning), a government institute for teaching Western languages, where he served as the head instructor, training Chinese diplomats proficient in English.
The development of the Anglican Church in northern China began with the arrival of Charles Perry Scott. Born in 1847 in Yorkshire, England, C. P. Scott entered Charterhouse School at the age of ten, where he became a devout Christian and resolved to become a missionary overseas. At the age of 27, he was sent to China by the Anglican Church.
Scott was primarily active in northern China, leaving his mark in places like Zhili, Shandong, Henan, and Shanxi. As the number of believers increased, in 1880, he became the first bishop of the Anglican Diocese of North China, overseeing church affairs in the region.
In 1907, Scott acquired a piece of land on Tonglinge Road, which was originally the private residence of Yin Keting, an official from the Qing government's Ministry of Justice. Through diverse means, he purchased the land and built a church there. In 1912, the church was registered with the Beiyang Government, making it the property of the Anglican Church. From then on, it became the center of the Anglican Church in northern China, with two subsequent bishops, Francis Lushington Norris and Thomas Arnold Scott, managing church affairs and pastoring believers here until the early 1950s.
The Holy Saviour's Cathedral in Beijing is a blend of Chinese and Western architectural styles, with a floor area of approximately 640 square meters. The entrance of the church is located on the south façade, featuring a traditional Chinese gate design. Plaques are engraved on both sides and above, with the right inscription reading "This is the true Lord's house," the left "This is the gate of Heaven," and the horizontal inscription " "Respectable and Awesome."
The church is a rectangular building with a north-south orientation, featuring a double Latin cross layout, which is a basilica architecture. However, at the intersection of the main axis and the two east-west wings, there are Chinese-style octagonal pavilions that serve as the church's bell tower and skylight. The use of gray bricks and tiles commonly found in northern China further imbues the church with features of Chinese architecture.
Records describe the church's interior as follows: "The internal structure of the church is supported by wooden pillars and trusses that bear the roof load, with wooden flooring laid. Set at the crossing of the church, the altar made of wood is surrounded by redwood railings carved with floral decorations. A Chinese-style ice-patterned lattice screen is installed behind the communion table, and the furnishings of the altar are traditional Chinese redwood furniture."
With the Chinese churches entering a post-denominational era, combined with the "United Worship" movement of the late 1950s, the Holy Saviour's Cathedral ceased holding worship services. In the mid-to-late 20th century, it became the office of a certain enterprise. Due to its long history and unique architectural style, it was listed by the State Council of PRC as one of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units on March 5, 2013.
Today, the cathedral is home to a branch of Beijing's Mofan Bookstore. Because of its beautiful architecture, the bookstore has become an internet-famous spot, a must-visit destination for many tourists in Beijing, earning it the title of "the most beautiful bookstore."
(Originally published by the Gospel Times, the article has been edited under permission with the author being a Christian living in Xiamen.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
宣武门教堂、西什库教堂、崇文门教堂等等都是北京的重点保护的文化古迹。而在这些文保教堂中，却有一座没有投入礼拜使用，而作为书店的老教堂。她就是中华圣公会救主堂（又称南沟沿救主堂）。
早在1862年，英国圣公会传教士包尔腾就来到北京拓展教务，他在英国使馆附近建立教堂，满足他们的信仰需求。不久包尔腾在威妥玛推荐下，进入满清设立的同文馆工作，担任总教习，为中国培养精通英语的外交人才。
华北地区的圣公会真正得到发展，则是在史嘉乐来华后。他生于1847年，为英国约克郡人。十岁时就进入查特豪斯学校学习，培养了虔诚的品质，立志到海外宣教。27岁那年，他被英国圣公会派往中国。
史嘉乐主要活跃于华北地区，直隶、山东、河南、山西等地都留下了他的身影。随着信徒不断增加，1880年他成为圣公会华北教区首任主教，负责这一带的教务。
1907年，史嘉乐看中了今天佟麟阁路，原为清政府邢部官员殷柯庭的私宅的土地；他通过各种方式将其购入，在此修建教堂。1912年通过在北洋政府登记，成为圣公会的教产。此后这里就成为圣公会在华北的中心，史嘉乐之后的鄂方智、史多马两位主教都在此管理教务，牧养信仰，直到50年代初。
中华圣公会救主堂为一座中西合璧的教堂，建筑面积约640平方米。教堂入口位于南立面硬山山墙上，中国传统大门式样。两侧与上部刻有匾额，右款为“此城真主殿”，左款为“此乃上天门”，横批是“可敬可畏”。
教堂为南北走向长方形建筑，平面为双拉丁十字形，为西方常用的巴西利卡风格。但其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。再加上使用了华北地区常用的青砖、灰筒瓦，又让她拥有了中国传统建筑的特色。
根据记载；“教堂内部结构以木柱、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。”
随着中国教会进入后宗派时代，再加上五十年代末的“联合礼拜”，中华圣公会救主堂再也没有举行礼拜活动，上世纪中后期成为某企业的办公场所。由于教堂悠久的历史，独特的建筑风格，2013年3月5日，她被国务院公布为第七批全国重点文物保护单位。
如今中华圣公会救主堂为“模范书局-诗空间”书店的所在地。而书店也因着其这座美丽的建筑的缘故而成为网红，是不少来京旅游者的打卡地之一，因而也有“最美书店”的称号。
注：本文为特约/自由撰稿人文章，作者系厦门一名基督徒，
https://gospeltimes.breadoflife.cn/article/index/id/75456
老教堂旧址中的网红书店
Xuanwumen Church, Xishiku Church, and Chongwenmen Church are all key protected cultural relics in Beijing. Among these historic churches, there is one that has not been used for worship but has been converted into a bookstore. This is the Holy Saviour's Cathedral.
As early as 1862, English Anglican missionary John Shaw Burdon came to Beijing to expand the church work. He established a church near the British Embassy to meet the spiritual needs of the community. Not long after, upon the recommendation of Thomas Francis Wade, Burdon began working at the Tongwen Guan (or the School of Combined Learning), a government institute for teaching Western languages, where he served as the head instructor, training Chinese diplomats proficient in English.
The development of the Anglican Church in northern China began with the arrival of Charles Perry Scott. Born in 1847 in Yorkshire, England, C. P. Scott entered Charterhouse School at the age of ten, where he became a devout Christian and resolved to become a missionary overseas. At the age of 27, he was sent to China by the Anglican Church.
Scott was primarily active in northern China, leaving his mark in places like Zhili, Shandong, Henan, and Shanxi. As the number of believers increased, in 1880, he became the first bishop of the Anglican Diocese of North China, overseeing church affairs in the region.
In 1907, Scott acquired a piece of land on Tonglinge Road, which was originally the private residence of Yin Keting, an official from the Qing government's Ministry of Justice. Through diverse means, he purchased the land and built a church there. In 1912, the church was registered with the Beiyang Government, making it the property of the Anglican Church. From then on, it became the center of the Anglican Church in northern China, with two subsequent bishops, Francis Lushington Norris and Thomas Arnold Scott, managing church affairs and pastoring believers here until the early 1950s.
The Holy Saviour's Cathedral in Beijing is a blend of Chinese and Western architectural styles, with a floor area of approximately 640 square meters. The entrance of the church is located on the south façade, featuring a traditional Chinese gate design. Plaques are engraved on both sides and above, with the right inscription reading "This is the true Lord's house," the left "This is the gate of Heaven," and the horizontal inscription " "Respectable and Awesome."
The church is a rectangular building with a north-south orientation, featuring a double Latin cross layout, which is a basilica architecture. However, at the intersection of the main axis and the two east-west wings, there are Chinese-style octagonal pavilions that serve as the church's bell tower and skylight. The use of gray bricks and tiles commonly found in northern China further imbues the church with features of Chinese architecture.
Records describe the church's interior as follows: "The internal structure of the church is supported by wooden pillars and trusses that bear the roof load, with wooden flooring laid. Set at the crossing of the church, the altar made of wood is surrounded by redwood railings carved with floral decorations. A Chinese-style ice-patterned lattice screen is installed behind the communion table, and the furnishings of the altar are traditional Chinese redwood furniture."
With the Chinese churches entering a post-denominational era, combined with the "United Worship" movement of the late 1950s, the Holy Saviour's Cathedral ceased holding worship services. In the mid-to-late 20th century, it became the office of a certain enterprise. Due to its long history and unique architectural style, it was listed by the State Council of PRC as one of the seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units on March 5, 2013.
Today, the cathedral is home to a branch of Beijing's Mofan Bookstore. Because of its beautiful architecture, the bookstore has become an internet-famous spot, a must-visit destination for many tourists in Beijing, earning it the title of "the most beautiful bookstore."
(Originally published by the Gospel Times, the article has been edited under permission with the author being a Christian living in Xiamen.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Internet-Famous Bookstore in Century-old Christian Church
