St Mary's Cathedral
- Published on : 28/12/2012
- by : Japan Experience
- Youtube
St Mary's Cathedral is a modernist Catholic church in Bunkyo ward, Tokyo, designed by the famous Japanese architect, Kenzo Tange.
St. Mary's Cathedral 東京カテドラル聖マリア大聖堂
St. Mary's Cathedral, Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo
St. Mary's Cathedral, or Sekiguchi Catholic Church, is a modernist Roman Catholic church in Bunkyo ward, Tokyo, designed by Kenzo Tange and completed in 1964.
History
The original church, which is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tokyo, was completed in 1900, but burnt down in World War II. It was rebuilt only in the 1960's with funds raised by churchgoers in Cologne, Germany.
The modernist, stainless steel design is in the shape of a cross with eight hyperbolic parabolas rising up from the structure. The 60m-tall bell tower is separate from the main church.
Inside St. Mary's Cathedral
St. Mary's Cathedral with Bell Tower
The cathedral has seating for 600 worshipers with standing room for 2,000 people.
Mass is held in the main church on Saturday at 6 pm, and Sunday at 8 am, and 10 am. Mass is held in the B1 chapel on Sunday at midday and on weekdays at 7 am. All masses are held in Japanese.
Lourdes Grotto, St. Mary's Cathedral,Tokyo
A grotto to the Virgin Mary, which dates from the time of the original church, is preserved at the north-western end of the grounds. Created in 1911, it is an exact replica of the cave at Lourdes, France, where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared in 1858.
The architect Tange's other famous projects in Japan include the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku and the Fuji Television Building in Odaiba.
Access - Getting to St. Mary's
St. Mary's Cathedral (tokyo.catholic.jp)
3-16-15 Sekiguchi
Bunkyo-ku
Tokyo
Tel: 03 3941 3029
The cathedral is close to Edogawabashi and Gokokuji stations on the Yurakucho Line of the Tokyo subway.
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