St. Ignatius Cathedral Church

Address: Xujiahui, Shanghai

St. Ignatius Cathedral, commonly called Xujiahui Cathedral, is the Roman Catholic cathedral in Shanghai’s Xuhui District and is built in a Neo-Gothic style. The present stone structure was constructed by Jesuit missionaries and completed in the early 20th century.

The cathedral has twin towers and a nave typical of large Roman Catholic churches, serving as a central place of worship for Shanghai’s Catholic community. It contains liturgical furnishings and decorative stonework consistent with its period of construction.

Erected by the Jesuit mission in the late Qing and Republican eras, the building replaced earlier mission churches at Xujiahui and has been restored and maintained through the 20th and 21st centuries. It is the principal Roman Catholic church in Shanghai.

The cathedral stands in the Xujiahui area of Shanghai Municipality, near major roads and transport hubs in the city’s southwestern urban quarter.

• Alternate name and style: Also known as Xujiahui Cathedral, it was built by Jesuit missionaries and completed in the early 20th century in a Neo-Gothic style.
• Location note: Located in Shanghai’s Xuhui District, close to Xujiahui commercial and transport hubs.

Xujiahui is served by Shanghai Metro lines 1, 9 and 11 (Xujiahui station). From there, the cathedral is a short walk through the commercial district. Taxis to Xujiahui are common from central Shanghai neighborhoods.

• Visit early to avoid tour groups and to catch the morning light on the stained-glass windows.
• Stand beneath the transept and listen: the acoustics favor organists and choirs.
• Combine a visit with a stroll through the Xujiahui neighborhood to see the colonial-era Jesuit buildings nearby.