St Joseph, Patron of a Happy Death Church, Nanzhang

Nanzhang Catholic Church (南张圣若瑟善终主保堂, Nánzhāng Shèng Ruòsè Shànzhōng Zhǔbǎo Táng) was a village chapel with a nickname that suggested more than its size. The Shanghai County Gazetteer says people called it “Little Rome” (小罗马), because it was among the largest branch chapels in the Qibao parish.

How big was a large branch chapel?

The 1984 county survey lists the hall at 220 square metres and the annexes at 820.5 square metres, both intact. The survey gives the church a date of 1901 (Guangxu 27) and marks it as a rebuilding. It was dedicated to St Joseph as patron of a happy death, a dedication that matches what the buildings later became.

Nanzhang belonged to the Qibao parish, the cluster of twelve churches around Qibao town. A 1955 survey of the Longhua district records that the Qibao main church and three branch chapels, Gujiatang, Wujia and Nanzhang, took in 44 percent and 48 percent of the district’s Catholics respectively.

What happened after 1966?

The production brigade used the church from 1966. In 1990 the diocese took it over as the Nanzhang Home for the Elderly (安乐院, Ānlèyuàn), and part of the buildings was shared with a primary school. The Chinese alias 南张安老院 in the record reflects that later use.

What to look for

Look for the hall of 1901, which the survey described as intact. The annex buildings beside it are what once housed the old-age home and the school.