Churches and Cathedrals

Nagasaki Port was opened and the first Portuguese ship arrived in 1571. And development of the

town of cape was started as Christian town in 1571 and many Churches were constructed in

Nagasaki. However, due to the Tokugawa Shogunate’s Ban on Christianity in 1614, most of the

church buildings were destroyed. Since ban on the Christianity was lifted in 1873, new Christian

history in Japan has begun and many Churches and Cathedrals have been constructed.

The Cathedral is one of the significant Christian Pilgrimage site in Japan. Established 1865,

this church is officially known as “Oura Cathedral, the Church of 26 Martyrs.” It was built by

the French priest Bernard Petitjean of Fier who had been dispatched by the Foreign

Missionary Church of Paris to dedicate prayers to the 26 saints martyred on Nishizaka hill.

Construction of the original Urakami Cathedral, a brick Romanesque building, began in 1895,

after a long-standing ban on Christianity was lifted.

When completed in 1914, it was the largest Catholic church in East Asia.