Description of the attraction
Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary is considered one of the most unusual buildings in the Japanese capital. Although it was built in the shape of a cross, which is traditional for many temples, it has eight original, hyperbole curved facades.
If you look at the cathedral from the side, then it resembles a headdress - either a nun, and possibly a conquistador - a conquering traveler, because Christianity penetrated into Japan together with Portuguese merchants who were wrecked near the island of Kyushu. When they reached the coast, they became the first Europeans to set foot on Japanese soil. It happened in 1543. The local population greeted them quite warmly, and later traders from the Old World paved the sea route to the islands of the archipelago, and missionaries came with them. Catholic cathedrals gradually began to appear in the major cities of the country. Christianity spread very quickly among the Japanese.
The rulers of Japan initially did not interfere with the penetration of the new religion, but in 1587, one night, the then ruler Hideyoshi banned the activities of missionaries. This first decision by Hideyoshi was to expel all missionaries from the country, but the anger quickly passed and the mission resumed. The second fit of anger was more terrible - several Catholics - Spaniards, Portuguese and even Japanese in disfigured form were taken through the streets of the city of Nagasaki for universal intimidation, and then crucified on crosses. The next ruler, Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, canceled the anti-Christian laws of his predecessor. However, when Japan began to isolate itself from the outside world, the persecution resumed.
Today the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the current cathedral of the Japanese archdiocese. The first mention of it dates back to 1964. However, it is known that earlier on this place there was a wooden church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, built at the very end of the 19th century and burned down during the Second World War. The modern building was designed by the Japanese architect Kenzo Tange with the participation of his German colleague Wilhelm Schlombs. The author of the project won the competition and started work in 1961.
Inside, the church is decorated very modestly and looks even gloomy. In forty meters from the building of the cathedral there is a bell tower, the height of which is 60 meters.
The cathedral is popular not only among tourists; many parishioners visit it.
