A new chapter is emerging in the story of Shanghai's former Anglican cathedral, and photos and drawings from its early past will help shape its future at the heart of China's state-approved Protestant church. "If anyone can provide early photos or even the original blueprints of Holy Trinity Church, these would greatly assist its restoration," said Presbyter Ji Jianhong, chairperson of the National Committee of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) of the Protestant Churches in China. [Materials may be forwarded via the contact information below.]
Voicing this request to Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold October 28 in Nanjing, Ji praised government officials for presenting the cathedral - built in 1869 and closed in 1949 amid the cultural revolution - to TSPM leaders in 2004.
Working collaboratively with the China Christian Council (CCC), TSPM continues Protestant ministry in a "post denominational era," said CCC's president, the Rev. Dr. Cao Sheng-jie, who was herself raised in the Anglican tradition. The CCC continues the ministries of most mainline faith groups present in China prior to 1949.
Sir Gilbert Scott designed the cathedral church, which continued parish ministry begun in 1847. An architectural firm, run by descendents of Scott, has been retained to oversee the restoration, expected to commence within the next year's time.
Added in 1893 at a height of some 50 meters, the cathedral's tower was said to be the city's tallest pinnacle at the time. The spire is dwarfed today by a skyline that includes several of the world's tallest and most futuristic skyscrapers.
The Presiding Bishop took an October 27 tour of the cathedral interior - once home to a significant 1914 pipe organ and later restyled as an auditorium used for government purposes. Renovation of the nave will remove the current rows of tattered theater-style seats, a dropped ceiling, and accumulated debris.
Griswold was hosted the same day in the adjacent CCC headquarters, built in the 1920s as a British boys school and recently presented to the CCC for its use following an extensive restoration initiated and fully funded by the government.
Elsewhere in Shanghai, Roman Catholics are at work restoring the Jesuit Zikawei Cathedral, while similar efforts are desired for the blue-domed Russian Orthodox cathedral completed in 1936 and dedicated to the "Surety of Sinners" icon of the Theokotos.
None of the three church restoration projects should be confused with the "Shanghai Cathedral Tower" planned by China's Ping An Insurance Company, which expects to spend some $242 million (U.S.) to build a 150-meter-tall skyscraper in the city's Pudong financial district.
To share copies of photos and drawings with church leaders and architects working to restore the Shanghai cathedral, send electronically scanned copies (jpeg or giff format) or written observations via e-mail to news@episcopalchurch.org. A return e-mail message will be sent to acknowledge successful receipt of each submission. Photos and comments will be forwarded directly project managers in China.
