Wanjin Catholic Church Introduction
Wanjin Catholic Church began in 1861 when Spanish Dominican priest Father Guo Degang arrived in Taiwan, and in 1863, he constructed the first earthen chapel. During this period, there were several incidents of the chapel being burned and damaged by earthquakes, leading to collapses. It wasn't until 1869 that Father Liang Fangji, with the support of various parishioners, purchased a piece of forest land and built the current Wanjin Our Lady Basilica, modeled after Spanish fortress architecture. The materials used for the construction primarily included lime, gravel, kapok, fired bricks, brown sugar, and honey, and there was no steel structure visible; however, the main building was extremely sturdy. The facade features a double-tower style reminiscent of a Spanish fortress, with a gable wall representing a traditional horse's back between the two towers. A cross stands on the horse's back, and the gable is adorned with a crown and the emblem of the Dominican Order. Inside the basilica, the ceiling mural and the carvings on both sides, the rear loft, the pulpit, and the sedan chair of the Virgin Mary are all made of wood, blending Eastern Chinese and Western Gothic styles. In 1874, Qing Dynasty Minister Shen Baozhen passed through Wanjin Our Lady Basilica during an inspection of the south, witnessing the unity and harmony of the local residents and churchgoers, and recognized the power of religion to cultivate morality and eliminate ethnic divisions. He subsequently petitioned Emperor Tongzhi for an imperial decree to bestow the "Venerated Stone" and "Catholic Church," which were affixed above the main entrance; from then on, officials and soldiers would pay special respect when passing by. The appearance of Wanjin Our Lady Basilica has actually undergone several renovations to achieve its current style, such as changing the original horse's back to a gable peak, rebuilding the bell tower at the center of the gable wall, modifying the parapets from a cross-lattice style to a railing style, replacing the internal wooden framework with reinforced concrete, adding traditional Chinese decorative paintings to the central ceiling, and painting the pillars a prominent red. Understanding the reconstruction process of Wanjin Catholic Church is akin to witnessing the history of the spread of religion, as during the missionary efforts in Taiwan, the church faced countless acts of hostility, with destruction and reconstruction coexisting. In 1984, Pope John Paul II designated Wanjin Our Lady Basilica as a "Papal Basilica," and in the same year, the Ministry of the Interior also recognized it as the third-level historical site No. 3 of Pingtung County's cultural heritage. Wanjin Catholic Church continues to bear the mission of preserving historical legacy.
