若瑟堂法國人在渝修建的第一座天主教堂

楊艷

年代：始建于1879年

Year of Construction： 1879

坐標：渝中區(qū)民生路西段北側(cè)若瑟堂巷1號

Address： No.1 St Joseph Cathedral Alley，

Address： North Minsheng Road West Section，

Address： Yuzhong District， Chongqing

渝中區(qū)，熙來攘往的民生路，連接著臨江門和通遠門，天主教堂若瑟堂就位于此。若瑟堂建于1879年，起初為一間簡易平房。1893年被拆除，再建成磚木結(jié)構(gòu)的教堂和附屬房屋。1917年，在教堂大門前增建了50余米高的鐘樓，形成了現(xiàn)今的格局。

若瑟堂雖是法國人主持修建，卻為中西混搭風格。院落是中式建筑風格，教堂是典型的磚木結(jié)構(gòu)哥特式建筑風格。整個教堂坐北朝南，建筑面積860平方米，占地面積1860平方米，保護范圍面積4060平方米。若瑟堂分為經(jīng)堂和鐘樓，經(jīng)堂為平房，可容納300多人開展活動;鐘樓為正方形，高約30米。

若瑟堂是重慶最早、也是當時最大的天主教堂，其鐘樓也是當時最高的建筑。鐘樓上安置有鳴鐘和金鐘，每逢星期日和重大節(jié)日，金鐘鳴響，悠揚洪亮，周圍數(shù)里可聞?？箲?zhàn)時期，鐘樓上安裝了防空報警器。

20世紀30年代初，若瑟堂前修建公路，若瑟堂得以保留。公路修好后，路邊逐漸建起房屋，把若瑟堂隔離到了背街里，形成一條小巷，取名若瑟堂巷。若瑟堂被四周現(xiàn)代高樓大廈所遮掩，更加顯示出它特別的建筑風格。

1992年，重慶市人民政府公布若瑟堂為重慶市文物保護單位。2015年，對若瑟堂進行過一次從內(nèi)到外的整修?，F(xiàn)在教堂內(nèi)華燈高懸，燭光交映，也成為新人舉辦婚禮的地方。

The Catholic Cathedral of St. Joseph stands in the bustling Minsheng Road which links Linjiangmen Gate and Tongyuanmen Gate. Built in 1879， the cathedral was originally a simple bungalow. Later demolished in 1893， it was then rebuilt into a church of wood and brick structure with ancillary houses. In 1917， a bell tower of more than 50 meters was built in front of its entrance when the cathedral took its current shape.

Though it was the French who directed the construction， the Cathedral presents both Chinese and western style. The courtyard features Chinese architectural style while the church has a typical Gothic brick and wood structure. The cathedral faces the south， with a floor area of 860 square meters， a total construction area of 1860 square meters， and a conservation area of 4060 square meters. The Cathedral consists of a bungalow church that can accommodate more than 300 and a square bell tower of 30 meters high.

Cathedral of St. Joseph was the earliest and the largest catholic church in Chongqing at the time. The bell tower， with a church bell and a golden bell， was the highest building in the city. On Sundays and major festivals， the bell rings out across miles of the citys soundscape. During the Anti-Japanese War， air defense alarms were installed on the tower.

In the early 1930s， the cathedral was preserved when road constructions started in front of it. After roads were built， new houses began to rise on roadsides， pressing the cathedral into back street， forming an alley which was then named St Joseph Cathedral Alley. Though surrounded by high rise buildings， people can still feel the lasting beauty of the cathedral as long as they walk into the alley.

In the year 2000， it was listed as the citys Protected Cultural Relic Site by Chongqing Municipal Peoples Government. In 2015， a thorough renovation of the cathedral was conducted. Today， with lights hanging in high ceilings and candles lit up chapel halls， the cathedral has become an ideal place for wedding ceremonies.