Wanjin Catholic Church Introduction
Wanjin Catholic Church began in 1861 when Spanish Dominican priest Father Guo De Gang came to Taiwan. In 1863, he constructed the first earth chapel. During this period, there were multiple incidents of the chapel being burned down and its walls collapsing due to earthquakes. In 1869, Father Liang Fang Ji, with the support of local parishioners, purchased a piece of forest land and built the Wanjin Basilica of Our Lady, which we see today, following the architectural style of a Spanish fortress. The main materials used for the construction included lime, gravel, kapok, fire bricks, brown sugar, and honey, with no steel structure present, yet the main building is incredibly solid. The front features a twin-tower church resembling a Spanish fortress, with a gable wall inspired by traditional horse-back imagery between the towers. On top of the horse-back figurine is a cross, and the gable wall is decorated with a crown and the emblem of the Dominican order. The frescoed ceiling, sculptures on both sides, altar, pulpit, and the mother statue inside the basilica are all made of wood, blending both Eastern and Western Gothic styles. In 1874, Qing Minister Shen Baozhen, while touring the southern region, passed by the Wanjin Basilica of Our Lady. He witnessed the harmony and unity among the local residents and parishioners and believed in the power of religion to promote societal peace and eliminate ethnic prejudices. He then petitioned Emperor Tongzhi for a royal decree and a sacred stone for the "Catholic Church," which was later embedded above the front of the chapel. From then on, passing officials were required to pay special homage. The appearance of the Wanjin Basilica has undergone several renovations to reach its present style, including changes from a horse-back gable to a pointed roof, the re-construction of the bell tower at the central gable, and alterations from a cross-lattice parapet to a railing style, as well as internal modifications from wooden frames to reinforced concrete, with the ceiling added with traditional Chinese decorative painting and columns painted in prominent red. Understanding the renovation process of Wanjin Catholic Church is akin to witnessing the history of the eastern spread of religion, as the church faced numerous acts of religious hostility, undergoing cycles of destruction and reconstruction. In 1984, Pope John Paul II conferred the title of "Pontifical Sanctuary" to Wanjin Basilica of Our Lady, and that same year, it was also designated by the Ministry of the Interior as the third-level historical monument of Pingtung County's cultural heritage, continuing to bear the mission of preserving historical legacy.
