Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Datong (Chinese: 大同圣母圣心堂) is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Datong, Shanxi, China.[1]
History
Construction of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, designed by Franciscan missionaries from Italy, commenced in 1889 and was completed in 1891.[1] It was burned by a catastrophic fire in 1900 during the Boxer Uprising, causing many casualties in the Christian community in the area.[1] It was restored in 1906 in a neoclassical architecture style.[1]
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Datong was set up in 1922 and came under the leadership of the CICM Missionaries.[1]
During the Cultural Revolution, the church was severely damaged by the Red Guards, while Christians were hunted by the Communists.[1] Both bell towers collapsed.[1] And the church was used as a workshop.[1] It underwent two renovations, respectively in 1982 and 2006.[1] Two 17-metre (56 ft) high bell towers were added to the church.[1]