Church · in North Bund and Hongkou
Sacred Heart Church (Hongkou)
虹口耶稣圣心堂Hóngkǒu Yēsū Shèngxīn Táng
The first Catholic church in the International Settlement, opened in 1876 for Hongkou's seamen; a small church replaced the demolished original in 1982.
Directory and photographs supplied by 中二halo君. Photographs used with permission. · Xiaohongshu · Bilibili
- Built
- 1874–1876
- Architect
- Not recorded
- Style
- Not recorded
- Heritage listing
- Not recorded
- Status
- Open to visitors
- Then in
- American Settlement1848–1863International Settlement1863–1943Northern District from 1899
The grey-brick front of the former Sacred Heart Church, with the Chinese characters for 'Catholic Church' in gold on the gable.
Photo: 中二halo君 · used with permission · Xiaohongshu · BilibiliWhat you're looking at
- The small replacement church, a converted club hall rather than the 1876 building.
- The school across the road, on the site of the St Francis Xavier College that moved there in 1882.
The church front and arched doorway seen along the narrow street.
Photo: 中二halo君 · used with permission · Xiaohongshu · Bilibili
The small nave and sanctuary under a pitched ceiling, with a statue and Divine Mercy image at the altar.
Photo: 中二halo君 · used with permission · Xiaohongshu · Bilibili
A brass Mass-schedule plate and a museum plaque naming the Former Site of Hongkou Sacred Heart of Jesus Church.
Photo: 中二halo君 · used with permission · Xiaohongshu · BilibiliThe story
Sacred Heart Church (虹口耶稣圣心堂, Hóngkǒu Yēsū Shèngxīn Táng) is a small two-storey church at 246 Nanxun Road, on the north bank of Suzhou Creek. It is the successor to the first Catholic church built in the International Settlement, which stood nearby and held about a thousand people.
A church for sailors
From about 1860 Catholic seamen from Macau and Manila came ashore at Hongkou. The merchant Dent lent them a house as a chapel, and in 1870 the diocese put up a Chinese-style house whose middle three rooms served as a chapel, looked after from St Joseph’s at Yangjingbang. A proper church was begun on 29 November 1874 and opened on 10 June 1876, built in a Spanish style and dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The centre of Catholic Hongkou
Institutions followed the church across the creek: the Gongji Hospital moved nearby in 1877, and the St Francis school in 1884. That year the parish was split along Suzhou Creek, with Hongkou the northern half. The congregation grew from about 600 in 1880 to over 2,000 by 1900; among the foreigners, most were Portuguese. A priests’ house stood to the north and a boys’ school to the south.
Wartime congregations
In the early months of the Second World War the church took in more than 300 Jewish believers and gave them a congregation of their own. Japanese Catholics joined too, and Mass was said in Japanese. Membership passed 6,900 in 1941–42, then fell to 2,712 by 1960.
The church that replaced it
During the Cultural Revolution the old church was occupied and later demolished for factory buildings. In 1982 the diocese turned the former club hall into today’s church, which reopened on Christmas Day 1982. It covers about 200 square metres and holds about 300 people, a third the size of the original. A concert on 31 December 2005 marked the parish’s 130th anniversary.
What to look for
The church is the modest hall on Nanxun Road, not a towered building. By the entrance, a plaque reads “Former Site of Hongkou Sacred Heart of Jesus Church”, and a bilingual board gives the Mass and parish gathering times.
Signs at the church, in full (2)
The wording of plaques and notices as photographed. Timetables and rules may have changed since.
Hongkou Sacred Heart Church Mass and parish gathering times
虹口耶稣圣心堂弥撒与聚会时间 · see the photo
English printed on the sign
Mass Schedule
Wed. 8:00
Fri. 8:00
Sat. 8:00 19:00
Sun. 9:30 14:00
Parish Gathering Schedule
Wed. 9:00 / Fri. 9:00, 19:00 / Sun. 11:00
SMART MUSEUM
Former Site of Hongkou Sacred Heart of Jesus Church
Our translation of the Chinese
Mass
Wednesday at 08:00
Friday at 08:00
Saturday at 08:00 and 19:00
Sunday at 09:30 and 14:00
Parish gatherings
Wednesday at 09:00: reading group.
Friday at 09:00: prayer meeting and choir; at 19:00: youth gathering.
Sunday at 11:00: catechumen class, choir and scripture-reading gathering.
Hongkou Sacred Heart Catholic Church
[The public notice on the right is only partly in the frame.]
Notice of the person directly responsible for cultural-relic safety [remaining heading outside the frame].
Name of the heritage or museum institution: [entry outside the frame].
Managing or using organisation: [entry outside the frame].
Person directly responsible for cultural-relic safety: Niu Suqing; role: person in charge; contact details: [outside the frame].
Cultural-relic safety manager: Niu Suqing; role: person in charge; contact details: [outside the frame].
Supervising heritage authority’s reporting telephone: [entry outside the frame].
Chinese text
弥撒圣祭
周三8:00
周五8:00
周六8:00、19:00
周日9:30、14:00
聚会活动
周三9:00 读书会
周五9:00 祈祷聚会、唱经班；19:00 青年聚会
周日11:00 慕道班、唱经班、读经聚会
天主教虹口圣心堂
[右侧公示牌仅部分入镜]
文物安全直接责任人公告[后文出框]
文物博物馆单位名称：[内容出框]
管理使用单位：[内容出框]
文物安全直接责任人：牛素青；职务：负责人；联系方式：[出框]
文物安全管理人：牛素青；职务：负责人；联系方式：[出框]
文物行政主管部门监督举报电话：[内容出框]
Hongkou Sacred Heart of Jesus Church: Mass and gathering times
虹口耶稣圣心堂弥撒与聚会时间
English printed on the sign
Mass Schedule
Wed. 8:00
Fri. 8:00
Sat. 8:00 19:00
Sun. 9:30 14:00
Parish Gathering Schedule
Wed. 9:00 / Fri. 9:00, 19:00 / Sun. 11:00
SMART MUSEUM
Former Site of Hongkou Sacred Heart of Jesus Church
Our translation of the Chinese
Mass
Wednesday: 8:00
Friday: 8:00
Saturday: 8:00 and 19:00
Sunday: 9:30 and 14:00
Parish gatherings
Wednesday, 9:00: reading group
Friday, 9:00: prayer meeting and choir; 19:00: youth gathering
Sunday, 11:00: catechumen class, choir and Scripture-reading group
Hongkou Sacred Heart Catholic Church
Notice of the person directly responsible for cultural-heritage safety [the end of the heading is outside the photograph]
Heritage or museum institution: Hongkou Sacred [the rest of the name is outside the photograph]
Managing and occupying organisation: Religious Asso… [the rest is outside the photograph]
Person directly responsible for heritage safety: Niu Suqing; position: person in charge; contact details: [outside the photograph]
Heritage safety manager: Niu Suqing; position: person in charge; contact details: [outside the photograph]
Chinese text
弥撒圣祭
周三 8:00
周五 8:00
周六 8:00 19:00
周日 9:30 14:00
聚会活动
周三 9:00 读书会
周五 9:00 祈祷聚会、唱经班
19:00 青年聚会
周日 11:00 慕道班、唱经班、读经聚会
天主教虹口圣心堂
文物安全直接责任人公告[标题右端超出画面]
文物博物馆单位名称：天主教虹口圣[其余超出画面]
管理使用单位：宗教协[其余超出画面]
文物安全直接责任人：牛素青；职务：负责人；联系方式：[超出画面]
文物安全管理人：牛素青；职务：负责人；联系方式：[超出画面]
How to visit
- Status
- Open to visitors
- Opening times and prices not yet confirmed; check before you go.
- Nearest metro
- International Cruise Terminal国际客运中心Line 12· 8 min walkMetro and walking details are automatic and not yet checked on the ground.Plan a metro journey here →
Chinese address — show this to a taxi driver
上海市虹口区南浔路246号
246 Nanxun Road, Hongkou District
Amap (高德地图) works best in mainland China; Apple Maps on iPhone. Both open in the app when it is installed.
The map position is approximate; the entrance has not been checked.
Nearby
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Within a 10-minute walk
- Astor House Hotel浦江饭店9 min walk
- Broadway Mansions上海大厦9 min walk
Within a 20-minute walk
- Waibaidu Bridge外白渡桥11 min walk
- 1933 Old Millfun1933老场坊11 min walk
- North Bund Shopping District北外滩商业中心13 min walk
- Former British Consulate-General原英国驻沪总领事馆13 min walk
Sources
- 1.Chinese Wikipedia (article given in each fact's locator) (中文维基百科), Wikimedia Foundation — https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/虹口耶稣圣心堂wikipedia
- 2.Hongkou District Gazetteer, Catholicism (虹口区志 · 第四节 天主教), Shanghai Local Chronicles Office — 一、概况; 二、虹口天主堂gazetteer
- 3.Shanghai Religion Gazetteer, Catholicism, Open Churches (with table of other open churches) (上海宗教志 · 第四编天主教 · 第一节 开放教堂（附：其他开放教堂一览表）), Shanghai Local Chronicles Office — 十三、虹口天主堂gazetteer
- 4.Hongkou District Gazetteer 1994-2007, Catholicism (虹口区志(1994-2007) · 第三节 天主教), Shanghai Local Chronicles Office — 一、活动场所; 二、重大活动; 概述gazetteer
- 5.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