Photography The South Cathedral in Beijingu

A black-and-white photograph showing the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Shengmu wuran yuanzui tang 聖母無染原罪堂), also known as the South Church (Nantang 南堂), which is considered the oldest Catholic church in Beijing. The church was built in 1904 on the ruins of its predecessor, whose history is linked to the residence of the Jesuit Matteo Ricci (1552–1610) and the smaller chapel he used. On the foundations of the Xuanwumen Chapel (Xuanwumen libaitang 宣武門禮拜堂) dating back to 1605, a new church was built by the Jesuit Johann Adam Schall von Bell (1591–1666) in the early Qing Dynasty (1644–1911). Today, the Baroque church is the largest of the four Catholic churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Beijing. It is located in the Xuanwumen 宣武門 district on Front Gate Street (Qianmen Xidajie 前門 西大街). Since 2018, the church has been closed for renovation.

Increased construction of larger churches in Beijing began in implementation of agreements concluded in the 1901 Boxer Protocol (Xinchou Tiaoyue 辛丑條約), which, among other things, guaranteed the rights of foreigners to perform religious ceremonies.

The photograph is the 48th of 449 photographs of Beijing and its surroundings in the album of Ivan Skušek Jr., purchased during his stay in Beijing (1914–1920). In the handwritten inventory of the album, the photograph is referred to as Nan-Tang ( Süd Kirche ). (DZ)