The Sacred Heart Cathedral is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jinan in the city of Jinan

Jinan

Jinan is the capital of Shandong province in Eastern China. The area of present-day Jinan has played an important role in the history of the region from the earliest beginnings of civilisation and has evolved into a major national administrative, economic, and transportation hub...

, the capital of Shandong Province

Shandong

' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...

, China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

. It is the largest church in the region and a landmark of Jinan.

The cathedral was constructed during the years 1901 to 1905 (and extended again in 1906). The building project was financed with funds from the indemnity that was stipulated by the Boxer Protocol

Boxer Protocol

The Boxer Protocol was signed on September 7, 1901 between the Qing Empire of China and the Eight-Nation Alliance that had provided military forces plus Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands after China's defeat in the intervention to put down the Boxer Rebellion at the hands of the...

. The basic layout of this Gothic

Gothic architecture

Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....

 style church is a Latin cross with two tall towers. It is reminiscent of Notre Dame de Paris

Notre Dame de Paris

Notre Dame de Paris , also known as Notre Dame Cathedral, is a Gothic, Roman Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. It is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris: that is, it is the church that contains the cathedra of...

. The main building of the church covers 1650 square meters and can accommodate about 800 people.

The cathedral was closed in 1966 due to the Cultural Revolution

Cultural Revolution

The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...

, its interior furnishings were dismantled. It was reopened again on Christmas Day 1985. In 1992, it was declared a heritage site of Shandong Province.

The cathedral is located between Hongjialou Square and the Hongjialou Campus of Shandong University

Shandong University

Shandong University is a public comprehensive university in Shandong, China. It is one of the largest universities in China by student population and is supported directly by the national government....

. The cathedral compound also houses Holy Spirit Seminary (Shengshen Beixiu Yuan, founded in December 1998).