Description of the attraction
The Temple of the Sacred Heart is located in Guangzhou, in its old part, on the banks of the Pearl River. It is the largest Roman Catholic church in China. The height of its towers reaches sixty meters, and the area of the temple is 2700 square meters.
The cathedral was built at the end of the nineteenth century by the French architect Guillemin. The construction, made in the neo-Gothic style, began to be erected in 1861. The construction was carried out with the money of the Emperor Napoleon III and private donations from the French. The first stone, installed at the base of the cathedral, was brought specially from Jerusalem, and, in turn, was covered with a kilogram of earth brought from another majestic city - Rome.
Construction lasted for almost a quarter of a century and ended in 1888. During their work, engineers constantly faced opposition from the local population, who did not accept the new faith. In addition, the work was hampered by the lack of skilled workers and good equipment.
The facade of the building almost exactly copies the Basilica of Saint Clotilde - a Catholic church in Paris, built in 1857. There are two large towers on either side of the main façade. In one of the towers there are four bells specially brought from France. And on the second - a huge clock is set. The stained glass windows inside the cathedral are in the neo-Gothic style.
Despite its location, the architecture of the church was largely unaffected by Chinese influence. The cathedral has retained its classic appearance. The Chinese nicknamed the temple "stone house" because of granite, which became the main building material. It is one of the few cathedrals in the world built entirely of this stone.
Today, the Temple of the Sacred Heart is the representative office of the Roman Catholic Diocese in Guangzhou City. And, of course, it performs all the functions of an ordinary Catholic Church.
