Tabira Catholic Church

 

Tabira Catholic Church is located on the mainland close to the bridge across to Hirado Island.

It is a Romanesque brick structure with a wooden roof and was built in 1918.

Under the guidance of two French priests in the late Meiji period, Hidden Christians from areas further south in Nagasaki resettled in the area and built the church. Eventually many other Christian families migrated here.

The church was designed by Yosuke Tetsukawa who designed many other churches in the Nagasaki area.

In the late 20th century new stained glass from Germany and Italy was installed in the church and the original stained glass was donated to a church on Shikoku.

Since sites connected to Hidden Christians in Nagasaki were added to the UNESCO World Heritage, Tabira Church has become a popular tourist site. So nowadays it is recommended to contact the church in advance for permission to visit, but when I was there no such restrictions existed.

I visited on day 68 of my walk around Kyushu just before crossing over to Hirado. The previous post was on the Ohashi Natural Bridge.