Church
Annunciation Church, Hengtang
横塘圣母领报堂héng táng shèng mǔ lǐng bào táng
Songjiang-area seminary site where, per its plaque, Korea's first priest said his first Mass in August 1845.
Directory and photographs supplied by 中二halo君. Photographs used with permission. · Xiaohongshu · Bilibili
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The white bell tower with its pointed spire and arched doorway, seen from the courtyard.
Photo: 中二halo君 · used with permission · Xiaohongshu · BilibiliWhat you're looking at
- The plaque naming St Andrew Kim Taegon, with a parallel Korean text
- The adjoining columbarium
The bell tower and church buildings around the Hengtang courtyard, with a white statue at left.
Photo: 中二halo君 · used with permission · Xiaohongshu · Bilibili
A gateway arch topped by a cross and flanked by white statues, with the Alpha and Omega letters on its face.
Photo: 中二halo君 · used with permission · Xiaohongshu · Bilibili
A white Pieta statue stands against the courtyard wall, with small shrines set into the wall on either side.
Photo: 中二halo君 · used with permission · Xiaohongshu · Bilibili
A commemorative plaque in Chinese and Korean on the church wall recording the first Mass of St Andrew Kim Taegon.
Photo: 中二halo君 · used with permission · Xiaohongshu · Bilibili
Interior with red wooden pews, painted white roof trusses and red lanterns hanging from the ceiling.
Photo: 中二halo君 · used with permission · Xiaohongshu · BilibiliThe story
Annunciation Church (横塘圣母领报堂, Héngtáng Shèngmǔ Lǐngbào Táng) is in Sijing (泗泾, Sìjīng), beside the Chadai creek (查袋泾). A plaque identifies it as the place where the first Korean priest, St Andrew Kim Taegon, said his first Mass.
The seminary years
A Catholic community and a small chapel were already here in 1796, according to the Songjiang gazetteer. In July 1843 the Jesuit seminary founded at Zhangpu moved to Hengtang. Later the compound held a seminary, a Jesuit house, a convent and an orphanage; in 1849-50 the Jesuit Alexandre Rose took in 60 orphans here.
Korea’s first priest
The plaque, in Chinese and Korean, says St Andrew Kim Taegon celebrated his first Mass at the Hengtang church on 24 August 1845 after ordination at Jinjiaxiang in Pudong.
Closure and revival
The church closed in the Cultural Revolution. It was repaired afterwards, and a five-storey columbarium, with space for over 28,100 urns, was built next to it. The church and columbarium opened on 29 May 1986.
What to look for
Look for the plaque naming Kim Taegon. The columbarium stands just west of the church, according to the gazetteer.
Signs at the church, in full (1)
The wording of plaques and notices as photographed. Timetables and rules may have changed since.
Hengtang Church: Site of St Andrew Kim Dae-geon’s First Mass
横塘圣堂（圣金大建安德肋奉献首祭弥撒地） · see the photo
Our translation of the Chinese
Hengtang Church
(The Place Where St Andrew Kim Taegon Celebrated His First Mass)
This church is the place where St Andrew Kim Taegon, Korea's first priest, celebrated his first Mass after being ordained at Jinjiaxiang Church in Pudong (24 August 1845).
Chinese text
横塘圣堂（圣金大建安德肋奉献首祭弥撒地）
本圣堂是韩国第一位神父圣金大建安德肋在浦东金家巷圣堂晋铎之后（1845年8月24日）奉献首祭弥撒的地方。
How to visit
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- Nearest metro
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Chinese address — show this to a taxi driver
泗泾镇沪松公路2188号
2188 Husong Highway, Sijing Town, Songjiang District, Shanghai
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The map position is approximate; the entrance has not been checked.
Nearby
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No other places on the site are within a 20-minute walk yet.
Sources
- 1.Songjiang County Gazetteer, Catholicism (松江县志 · 第四节 天主教), Shanghai Local Chronicles Office — 横塘圣母领报堂gazetteer
- 2.Songjiang County Gazetteer, continued edition, Catholicism (松江县续志 · 第四节 天主教), Shanghai Local Chronicles Office — 第四节 天主教gazetteer
- 3.Photographs of Shanghai churches and their signs, by 中二halo君 (上海教堂实拍照片（中二halo君）), 中二halo君, 中二halo君, 2026 — sign photographed at the churchfieldwork