The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception () is a late 19th-century English Gothic Revival church that serves as the cathedral of the Diocese of Hong Kong, which is effectively coterminous with the territory. It is located at 16 Caine Road, in the Mid-Levels area on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island.
Groundbreaking and construction of the cathedral began in 1883 after the previous cathedral, on Wellington Street at its junction with Pottinger Street, was destroyed by fire. Built from brick and stone, the new cathedral was designed by the London-based architectural firm Crawley and Company. The church opened on 7 December 1888, the day before the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and was consecrated in 1938. Three years later, it was damaged during the Battle of Hong Kong, but remained untouched throughout the subsequent Japanese occupation which lasted until 1945. At the turn of the century, the cathedral underwent an extensive and costly programme of refurbishment, which was completed in 2002. The cathedral is listed as a Grade I historic building by the Antiquities and Monuments Office of the Hong Kong Government and the Antiquities Advisory Board.
History
Original structure (1843–1859)
After the First Opium War, Hong Kong was ceded to the British in the Treaty of Nanking and the colony soon became a popular stopover for missionaries travelling onwards to China. The parish was established in 1842 by Theodore Joset, the first Prefect Apostolic of Hong Kong, and work began on a new and permanent church soon afterwards. The new church was located at the junction of Pottinger Street and Wellington Street. Construction was completed in 1843. Within the next few years, the number of Catholics in the parish grew significantly, partly due to the emigration of people from neighbouring Macau. The Portuguese colony was in gradual decline, and many people who resided there sought better opportunities in the young and prospering colony of Hong Kong.
Second cathedral (1859)
thumb|Hong Kong Catholic cathedral (second generation), circa 1870.
In 1859, just sixteen years after it was built, the church was destroyed by fire. This was not uncommon, however, as devastating fires frequently plagued the developing colony, and a new cathedral was quickly built on the same site. It featured iconic twin steeples at its façade. However, the Victoria Harbour waterfront district where the church was situated became more overcrowded with the rapid growth of Hong Kong at the time, and it became apparent that a permanent and larger cathedral was necessary. As a result, plans were made for a new church on a more elevated ground in the Mid-Levels, located close to the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens.
Present-day cathedral
thumb|225px|left|upright|The cathedral in 1897.|alt=
A new site for the cathedral was selected above Caine Road by the Glenealy Ravine and the cornerstone of the new church was laid on 8 December 1883. Crawley and Company of London were hired to be the architects and five years later, construction was completed. The church opened on 7 December 1888, the vigil of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and was blessed one day later. the cathedral did not have its rite of consecration held until 8 December 1938, one day after the fiftieth anniversary of its opening. The ceremony was officiated by the vicar apostolic of Hong Kong Enrico Valtorta, the bishop of Macau José da Costa Nunes and the bishop emeritus of Canton; three of the cathedral's altars were also consecrated.
The cathedral holds a Red Mass every other year for the Judiciary, alternating with the Anglican St. John's Cathedral in hosting the annual opening of the Assizes.
Architecture
Interior
thumb|right|Interior of the Cathedral
thumb|right|Interior of the Cathedral
thumb|right|Interior of the Cathedral
The cathedral, built in an English Gothic style, is cruciform in the shape of the Latin cross. The exterior walls of the church were built from brick and stone, while its base and columns were made of granite. Its dimensions are long, wide and tall, with the tower at the centre rising to . Wu's remains were interred in September 2022, twenty years after his death, after burial at St. Michael's Catholic Cemetery in Happy Valley in 2002 while the remains of Michael Yeung are buried at St. Michael's Catholic Cemetery.
The inspiration for the crypt came from the design of a traditional Chinese family house, which would contain the remains of ancestors. The bishop at the time, Joseph Cardinal Zen, felt that the crypt would be a "symbolic move to inherit the teachings of previous generations in order to inspire future ones."
Relic of Blessed Gabriele Allegra
The relic of Blessed Gabriele Allegra, being the bone from his right middle finger, was placed at the Chinese Martyrs' Chapel. He was known for accomplishing the first complete translation of the Catholic Bible into the Chinese languages.
Cathedral Clergy
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Position
!Name
!Diocese / Religious Order
|-
|Cathedral Rector / Parish Priest
|Rev. Fr. Dominic Chan
|Diocese of Hong Kong
|-
|Assistant Parish Priest
|Rev. Fr. Gabriel Altamirano Ortega
|Guadalupe Missionaries
|-
|Assistant Parish Priest
|Rev. Fr. Francis Choi
|Diocese of Hong Kong
|-
|Permanent Deacon
|Rev. Deacon Simon Tam
|Diocese of Hong Kong
|-
|Permanent Deacon
|Rev. Deacon Victor Lee
|Diocese of Hong Kong
|-
| colspan="3" |Source:
|}
See also
- Catholic Marian church buildings
- List of 19th-century buildings and structures in Hong Kong
- List of cathedrals in Hong Kong
- List of Catholic churches in Hong Kong
- Places of worship in Hong Kong
- List of cathedrals in Asia
References
Footnotes
Bibliography
External links
- Hong Kong Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong
- UNESCO Office in Bangkok – Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Hong Kong