Xinjiang Catholic Church in Shanxi

The Xinjiang Catholic Church is a large Catholic church located in Xinjiang County, Shanxi Province, China. It is the cathedral of the Xinjiang (Yuncheng) Diocese of the Catholic Church, located on the high cliff at the end of North Street in Xinjiang County. Xinjiang is the earliest place in Shanxi Province where Catholicism was introduced. In 1620 (the 48th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty), Italian priest Ai Rulue came to Jiangzhou and established the first Catholic church in Shanxi Province. In 1935, the Vatican announced the establishment of the Xinjiang Diocese, which is one of the 8 dioceses of the Catholic Church in Shanxi, governing the Catholic churches in the nearby 22 counties. In 1937, Dutch priest Kong Zhaoming built a large cathedral in Gothic architectural style here, which is one of the larger Gothic churches in China. It is one of the four major Gothic churches in China. It is a key cultural relics protection unit in Shanxi Province.