Church Interiors

The lofty church interiors are in Shanghai's most splendid Catholic cathedrals. St. Ignatius or Zi-Ka-Wei Cathedral, named after the district, was built by the Jesuits as the centerpiece of a large complex which included a foundling home, an orphanage, schools, workshops and even a meteorology station. The second is a basilica atop She Shan Hill (earlier known as "Zo-Sa" in the outskirts of Shanghai. Both are patterned on European-style cathedrals. The latter, the seat of the Bishop of Shanghai, also has a seminary attached.

Above left is of the interior of one of Shanghai's largest protestant churches, the former  Moore  Memorial Church, now called the Mo-En Church. This church with a rectory adjoining it would fit right into a street scene in any city in the west. In Shanghai it is in the heart of the city's commercial district, on Thibet Road south of Nanking Road, and offers a welcome respite from its business-centered surroundings.

The church was designed by Ladislaus Hudec and built in the late 1920's. Intended primarily to serve Chinese Christians, it still does so; today it has l large and active congregation.