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Ningbo’s Sacred Heart Church Gutted by Fire

Posted: August 3rd, 2014 | No Comments »

Fire wrought some terrible catastrophes last week – miles apart. Eastbourne Pier, a marvellous Victorian pier, was gutted by fire and is a tragedy to those of us who love piers. Also, and a bit more relevant to this blog, the Jiangbei Sacred Heart Church in Ningbo. Sadly the 142 year old church appears to be pretty much gutted with the interior completely lost. However, the impressive bell tower and spire as well as the church’s outbuildings have remained intact and the tower appears to still be solid and salvageable.

The Catholic Scared Heart (Sacre Coeur) Church was built in 1872 by French missionaries. As well as a Christian tradition it was used as a base by communists so had a level of protection. Like so many churches and religious institutions across China it was mindlessly damaged during the Cultural Revolution. The church was returned to the Catholic community in 1980.

Quite how the fire started in Ningbo remains a mystery – how the fire started in Eastbourne has been established – sparks and electrical problems in the disgustuing games machine arcade that was housed in what (and you could still see the structure’s interior clearly if you visited) had once been the lovely theatre/dance hall portion of the pier. Art, culture and dancing sadly gave way to slot machines, video games and grab a pack of fags machines along with a filthy burger bar!

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index1 Sacred Heart Church prior to the fire

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1406539791Sadly gutted

 



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