Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Xianwumen

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception at Xuanwumen, locally called Nantang or South Church, is the oldest Catholic church in Beijing. Its origins go back to 1605, when the Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci was allowed to build a chapel here - the first Catholic presence inside the city walls. Repeatedly destroyed by earthquakes, uprisings, and the 1900 Boxer Rebellion, the present Baroque Revival building was rebuilt in 1904 with German support. During the Cultural Revolution the church was closed and damaged; in 1971 it briefly hosted diplomatic receptions before reopening in 1979 as the first Catholic church to resume worship in the Peoples Republic. Today Mass is celebrated here in Chinese, English, and Latin, and the cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Beijing.