Photos of Urakami Cathedral

After the Catholic ban was lifted, Urakami believers who were granted religious freedom first made plans to build churches. Due to the difficulty of raising funds, construction of the church began in 1895, more than 20 years after the plan was introduced. In 1914, Japan's premier basilica of brick Roman architecture was built, and a church dedication ceremony was held. In the atomic bombing of 1945, the main entrance of the Twin Towers, containing the French prayer bell, was completely damaged. Due to the impact of the blast, the prayer bell was uprooted along with the bell tower. The current building was rebuilt in 1959 and renovated in 1980 to complete the tiled structure. There are stone statues of the atomic bomb site around it, and a prayer bell that has withstood the impact of the atomic bomb blast, which still keeps the time three times a day.