Immaculate Conception Church, Jinjiaxiang

Jinjiaxiang (金家巷, Jīnjiāxiàng) is the church where a Korean seminarian was ordained a priest in 1845. The building you see today dates from 2004, but the name, the parish and the story go back much further.

Who was ordained here, and why does it matter?

On 17 August 1845 Kim Dae-geon (金大建), known in English as Andrew Kim Taegon, was ordained a priest in the church that stood in this village. He was a Korean seminarian when he arrived. Two years later, in 1847, Maresca (赵方济), the vicar apostolic of the Nanjing region, was consecrated bishop in the same church. Before that, in 1841, the church had been home to Bishop Rizzolati (罗伯济), and the first Jesuits returning to the Jiangnan region had also lodged here. The Chuansha county gazetteer says Catholicism in South Korea was brought by the priest ordained at Jinjiaxiang, and that he is influential there.

How old is the parish?

The gazetteers date the first church to the Chongzhen reign, between 1628 and 1644, and say that a believer surnamed Jin built it; this makes it the earliest church in Chuansha county. It was enlarged and repaired in 1926. In August 1937 Japanese shelling destroyed it. It was rebuilt in April 1949 as a Gothic hall for about 1,000 people, held its opening Mass on 1 May, and was wrecked again in fighting about a month later.

Why does every source give a different reopening date?

After the Cultural Revolution the sources disagree. One gazetteer says the parish got the church back in 1984; another says it reopened on 8 November 1986; a third says it became a prayer point in November 1987 and a full church, with a ceremony led by Bishop Jin Luxian, on 8 December 1989. Treat any single date with care.

Why is the church at Zihuai Road?

Redevelopment of the old site in Yangjing forced the move. From March 2001 worshippers met at 71 Xiepu Road. The foundation ceremony for the new church took place on 28 October 2002, and the building was finished in June 2004, with a consecration Mass on 25 June in which a Korean priest took part. Bishop Jin Luxian celebrated a reopening Mass in May 2005 for about 1,200 people. The site is 3,776 square metres, and the buildings cover 1,560.

What to look for

Find the memorial chapel to Kim Taegon, set up on 8 December 2006 with a statue, a portrait, a brass plaque and relics. At the gate, a Chinese notice lists Masses in both Chinese and Korean, which is a sign of the Korean-speaking community that uses the church. The door plate uses the name Dajinjiaxiang (“great Jin family lane”).