Saturday, October 8, 2011

Urakami Cathedral: Nagasaki City

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 Nagasaki is on a map!


Please check out Urakamai Cathedral Nagasaki from the video below:




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