Sacred Heart Church, Qiujiawan

Sacred Heart Church (邱家湾耶稣圣心堂, Qiūjiāwān Yēsū Shèngxīn Táng) is the old Catholic centre of Songjiang. The present building, a cross-shaped mix of Gothic and Chinese classical forms, dates from 1871-74 and was designed by the Jesuit brother Léon Mariot (马历耀), who also worked on Sheshan.

How far back does the site go?

The Religion Gazetteer says that in 1658 Candida Xu (许甘第大), a granddaughter of the scholar Xu Guangqi (徐光启), paid for a church and a residence for the missionary at Qiujiawan (邱家湾, Qiūjiāwān). The Songjiang gazetteer’s opening summary gives 1645 for her enlargement of the church, so the date is not settled. The first church was torn down in the Yongzheng years (1723-35).

Why was it rebuilt, and what happened in 1886?

After the Opium War the Jesuits recovered the site. In 1871 Mariot’s design replaced the old church on its original foundations; it was done in 1872 and consecrated on 9 April 1874. In March 1886 a group of examination candidates visited and were refused entry. A fight followed and the church and priests’ house were damaged. The Shanghai daotai ended the dispute by punishing those blamed and paying compensation.

A seat for a whole region

The church was the seat of the Songjiang deanery, which once oversaw churches in what are now Songjiang, Qingpu, Baoshan, Jiading and Minhang, with 26,050 Catholics. New deaneries at Sheshan and Jiading-Baoshan in 1936-37 reduced that range.

Closure, recovery and listing

During the Cultural Revolution a teachers’ school printing works used the building. It was returned in 1992 and reopened on 18 June 1993, the Feast of the Sacred Heart, when Bishop Jin Luxian said Mass for some 1,500 people. Songjiang County listed it as a cultural relic site on 10 July 1995.

What to look for

Look at the plan from the street: the cross shape, with a Gothic profile but Chinese classical detail. The church is at 281 Fangta North Road; check on site for a heritage plaque and what remains of the 1874 fabric.