Tamsui Church Introduction
Tamsui is the base for the development of the Presbyterian Church in northern Taiwan, with the greatest contributions made by Reverend George Leslie Mackay of the Canadian Presbyterian Church. Dr. Mackay arrived in Tamsui on March 9, 1872, and actively began his missionary work. He learned Minnan language and local culture, and the house he rented served not only as a hospital but also as a place for mission work. In 1873, he baptized the first group of believers in the rented residence due to the lack of a church. To expand the mission, he frequently led students to preach in various places, opening churches that were managed by the students. Despite experiencing many difficulties, he was able to spread the church throughout northern Taiwan, with the first church in the north established in Wugu. The Tamsui Church was later remodeled from the doctor's dormitory of the Mackay Memorial Hospital and is now a designated historic site. After Mackay’s death in 1901, the church entered a new era. Due to practical and expansion needs, the church was rebuilt in 1915 in a North American style, featuring brick walls with a white lime finish, commonly referred to as the "White Chapel," with a bell tower placed above the main entrance. In 1928, due to being inadequate, a decision was made to rebuild. Funding for the construction came from donations by church members, students, and various friends, with most of it provided by Mackay’s son, Mackay Harri, who applied for subsidies from the Canadian mother church and personally designed and supervised the construction. The renovation was completed on September 3, 1933. The Tamsui Chapel features a Gothic-style spire with buttresses, decorated with small cap-like adornments at the column heads, exterior walls made of exposed brick, and an interior supported by reinforced concrete columns and slabs. The large-span roof is carried by steel girders, with wooden panels used for the ceiling. To the left is a towering bell tower. In 1986, due to the difficulty of maintaining traditional roof tiles, the roof was comprehensively renovated with imported aluminum corrugated sheets, and traditional glass was replaced with colored stained glass. The church façade depicts the "Holy Trinity" of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, while the bell tower represents Christian doctrines of the "Five Loaves and Two Fish" and the "Garden of Gethsemane." The church has become a famous tourist attraction that harmonizes with the scenic beauty of Tamsui.
