OVERVIEW

Oura Cathedral is the oldest wooden church of gothic architecture existing in Japan. It was built in 1864 by a French missionary, and was thus known by the people of Nagasaki at the time as the “French Temple”. This church was dedicated to the 26 martyrs who had been executed on Nishizaka Hill; the bronze statues in Oura Cathedral and on Nishizaka were built to face each other. This church has been designated as a national treasure. One important story of this church is the “Discovery of the Flock”. In March 1865, hidden Christians from Urakami came to the cathedral and told the priest, Father Petitjean, that they were of the same faith as he was. When the Pope at the time heard the story of the Christian faith that had survived the centuries of harsh persecution, he was greatly moved and declared it to be the “Miracle in the East”.
Pope John Paul II visited this site in 1981.
This church was replaced with Urakami Cathderal as the Cathedral of the Nagasaki Archdiocese.
In 2016, it has been recognized by the Vatican as a Minor Basilica for its historical value.