Introduction

Located on the northern bank of Pearl River in the heart of Haizu district on Yide road close to Haizu Square, the cathedral was designed by two French architects and then completed by Chinese craftsmen. Its facade was modeled at St. Clotilde in Paris, France by Leon Vautrin who is a French architect.

Covering 2754 square meters this cathedral is the largest of all the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Guangzhou standing at 58.5 meters high and 79 by 35 meters. The cathedral took a total of 25 years to finish construction due to the existence of communication barriers between the non English speaking Chinese and the non Chinese speaking French nationals. The Chinese were rather hesitant and not so welcoming Western architectural designs. The Cathedral holds a unique statement of both European renaissance and Gothic architectural style making it very unique and outstanding.

With reference to historical records it is believed that apostle Vicar Ze Phirin Guillemin chose the location of the building in January 1861 and was approved by Emperor Xianfeng who declared the cathedral a center of peace ending the war.

Major attractions and activities to do on a visit

The magnificent tall tower, window lattices decorated in floral designs and colored paintings extracted from different Bible stories and arches create a very unique picture perfect scene attracting numerous tourists from different walks of life. Its east tower has imported bronze bells from France and the west tower has a mechanical clock sourced locally. The architecture of the cathedral integrates art, culture and religion creating a holy and mysterious atmosphere mixing western and Chinese culture.

Also known as the stone house or shishi(石室in Chinese language) due to the fact that it was constructed by pure granite including all the pillars, walls and the twin towers. Its interior is also impressively spacious with a statue of Jesus beautifully centered in the middle of the altar, commanding attention from the rest of the scene.

The cathedral offers the most serene destination to talk to God, reflect and relax your mind. Both locals and foreign believers gather here to worship at different set schedules.

Weekdays: 06:45 (Cantonese)

Saturday: 06:45 (Cantonese)

     16:00 (Korean)

      19:30 (Mandarin)

Sunday:  07:00 (Cantonese)

      08:30 (Cantonese)

      10:30 (Mandarin)

      15:30 (English)