Church of the Most Holy Virgin Mary of Heaven

Among the architectural sights of Shanghai, it is impossible to ignore the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Heaven, located near the city zoo. This monument of history and architecture is one of the most interesting religious buildings of the city.

The Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Heaven, built in 1931, is a rather rare example of the Byzantine style for China. Originally built as a parish church, in 1933, after the establishment of the Apostolic Vicariate of Shanghai, the Church of the Blessed Virgin of Heaven received the status of a cathedral.

Like many Catholic churches, the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Heaven was confiscated during the Cultural Revolution, but several decades later the city authorities returned it to the Catholic diocese. Since 1994, the church has been included in the list of outstanding architectural monuments of China.