Greater Bridge Church (Former Site of Fangxi Church) Introduction
During the Qing-French War, a sense of xenophobia permeated Taiwanese society, leading to the destruction of Dr. Mackay's church by a mob. The Fangxi Church is one of the four spire chapels that Dr. Mackay intervened to build in 1885, utilizing a compensation of 10,000 taels of silver provided by Liu Mingchuan. Dr. Mackay considered Fangxi Church to be the most beautiful stone church among the many churches he designed. In 1915, due to the increasing number of congregants, Elder Li Chunsheng single-handedly donated to build a new chapel in Dadaocheng, which led the congregation from Fangxi Church to relocate to the new site and the church was subsequently renamed Dadaocheng Church. The old site of Fangxi was then rented out for use as a Japanese language school and a pastry factory, remaining vacant until the 1950s when Pastor Sun Liren's wife, seeing the site lying abandoned, encouraged the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan to rebuild the church there. Ultimately, a new church was completed in 1956 and began services, named Da Qiao Church. The church itself has undergone numerous reconstructions, and today only the northern building and the outer stone walls remain from the original Fangxi Church, serving as the only physical testament to Dr. Mackay's missionary work in northern Taipei. Visitors can still see the thick stone walls built with coral rocks, as well as the classical-style pointed arch windows and doors. On the southern side of the church, one can find imitation Roman columns and vase railings constructed with washed pebbles from the factory period, alongside open railings made of clear red bricks. Next time you pass by, you might want to come in and see the cultural buildings that have weathered the test of time.
