St.Peter’s Church in Shanghai

St.Peter’s Church

St Peter’s Church (simplified Chinese: 圣伯多禄堂; traditional Chinese: 聖伯多祿堂; pinyin: Shèng bóduōlù táng) is a church in Luwan District, Shanghai.

Why is St.Peter’s Church So Special

St Peter’s Church was first built in the 1930s as a Byzantine style church with a central dome and five chapels. It sheltered many thousand parishioners during the Second Sino-Japanese War (World War II) and became a cultural center during the Cultural Revolution. The original building was razed to build a modern take in 1995, with colorful stained-glass windows. It still attracts a healthy crowd of foreigners, and offers masses in English, German and Korean. English language mass is on Saturdays at 5pm and Sundays at 11am. Services are usually held on the 3rd floor.

Introduction of St.Peter’s Church

History

The first church to be built on this site was built in 1933 for the students of Aurora University. This church was in the Byzantine style with a central dome and five chapels. During the Sino-Japanese war, many parishioners found refuge in the international settlements and so the number of faithful attending reached three thousand. During the cultural revolution, this church was confiscated and became a cultural centre. A little space was dedicated to religious ceremonies after 1984 and finally the construction of an expressway just in front of the building drove the cultural centre to move and return the building to the diocese.

The building was razed to build a modern one with very colourful stained-glass windows in 1995. The church is on the third floor of the building with chapels on the second floor.

Location

The church is located on 270 Chongqing Road, near the Xintiandi Metro station, exit 6.

Times of Masses

Weekdays

  • 7:00AM: Chinese

First Friday Mass

  • 7:30PM: English

Saturdays

  • 7:00AM: Chinese
  • 4:30PM: Indonesian (twice a month, date varies)
  • 5:00PM: English
  • 6:15PM: Chinese

Sundays

  • 6:30AM: Chinese
  • 8:00AM: Chinese
  • 11:00AM: English
  • 3:00PM: German (every second Sunday)
  • 5:00PM: Korean

How to get to St.Peter’s Church

  • Taking Subway:  Dapuqiao, Line 9 
    Shanxi Nan Lu, Line 1
  • Taxi from Shanghai to 270 Chongqing South Road 
    One-Way from: ¥21 – ¥25

Useful Travel Tips

  • Keep quiet when you walk into the church.
  • Please don’t make noise and smoke in church.
  • Please don’t answer the phone in the church, please turn the phone to silence.
  • Take pictures with permission from staff in the church.

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