Bridge Church (Former Site of Fangxi Church) Introduction
During the Sino-French War, an atmosphere of xenophobia spread through Taiwanese society, leading to the destruction of Dr. Mackay's church by rioters. The Fangxi Church is one of the four spire chapels built in 1885 after Dr. Mackay intervened, using 10,000 taels of silver silverware compensated by Liu Ming-chuan. Dr. Mackay regarded Fangxi Church as the most beautiful stone church among the many he designed. In 1915, due to an increase in congregation size, Elder Li Chunsheng independently donated to construct a new chapel in Dadaocheng, prompting the congregation of Fangxi Church to move to the new site, which was then renamed Dadaocheng Church. The old site of Fangxi was subsequently rented out for a Japanese language school and Baoxiang Cake Factory. It remained abandoned until the 1950s when Pastor Sun Lilan's wife, seeing the place in disrepair, encouraged the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan to rebuild there. Finally, the new church was completed in 1956 and began holding services as Daqiao Church. The church has undergone multiple reconstructions, and today only the northern building and exterior stone walls remain from the original structure of Fangxi Church, serving as a tangible testament to Mackay's missionary work in northern Taipei. You can still see the thick stone walls made of coral rock as well as the classical-style pointed arches and windows. On the south side of the church, there are imitation Roman columns and vase railings built with washed stones from the factory period, along with open flower railings made of red bricks. Next time you pass by, be sure to take a look at these cultural buildings that have weathered the test of time.
