Urakami Cathedral in Nagasaki is a Catholic Church that was completed in 1914. The main reason for its construction was because there were a large number of Christians who lived in the Urakami region of Nagasaki and many of them secretly continued to keep their faith even after Hideyoshi Toyotomi (the ruler of Japan in the 16th century) prohibited Christianity.
After the long-standing ban on Christianity was lifted, the Nagasaki Christians started constructing the Urakami Cathedral Nagasaki, which took them 20 years to complete.
Please click on the photos below to enlarge:
A sight to see!
Statue minus its head
Lots of info
Inside the Cathedral
Many figures and statues to see
Remembering the 26 Martyrs
Very impressive
The bell tower after the bomb
Full story of the Bell Tower
Powerful messages for all
However, when the atomic bomb was detonated over Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, the Nagasaki Urakami Cathedral was close to the center of the explosion and was completely destroyed, except for a part of its wall. After the war, the followers of the church took great pains to rebuild it and in 1959, a beautiful brick cathedral was finally completed.
Today, it stands as one of the symbols of Nagasaki that has been rebuilt and rediscovered itself from the past. Bigger, stronger, newer but at the same time able to remember the good times and the bad.
A great place to visit for practising Christians and non religious people alike. I am sure all people from all walks of life will be intrigued with the Urakami Cathedral. Today it still shines like a beacon and is a major attraction for tourists from all over Japan and the world to see and feel what Nagasaki was like all those years ago and its influence it had on many people all over Japan.
The Urakami area of Nagasaki is a landmark of sorts and there is many many places of interest that one could easily spend 2 to 3 hours in the area walking around and seeing the sights. Well worth a visit and a gander.
See where Urakami Cathedral is in Nagasaki is on a map:
Please check out more about Urakamai Cathedral in Nagasaki from the video below:
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