St. John's Cathedral, Hong Kong
Encyclopedia
St. John's Cathedral officially The Cathedral Church of St. John the Evangelist and located at 4 Garden Road
, Central
, is an Anglican cathedral
in Hong Kong
. It is the Diocesan
cathedral of the
Diocese of Hong Kong Island
and the focus of the Province of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui ( or SKH; also known as Hong Kong Anglican Church). It also houses the seat of the Archbishop of Hong Kong
.
The Anglican cathedral is one of the five cathedrals in the city. Two others are also Anglican, SKH Eastern Kowloon diocesan cathedral of Holy Trinity
, Kowloon City, and SKH Western Kowloon diocesan cathedral of All Saints. One is Eastern Orthodox, the cathedral on Arbuthnot Road of the ecumenical patriarchate of the Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia
, and the last is the Roman Catholic Immaculate Conception Cathedral
.
St. John's Cathedral is the oldest surviving Western ecclesiastical building in Hong Kong
, and the oldest Anglican church in the Far East, with its first Sunday service on Sunday, 11 March 1849. It was declared a monument of Hong Kong
in 1996. The Cathedral is located at the centre of Power
s of Hong Kong
and is therefore surrounded by the Bank of China Tower, HSBC Building (economic), Legislative Council Building
(legislative), Central Government Offices
(executive) and the Court of Final Appeal (judicial).
, the Japanese attacked Hong Kong. On Christmas morning 1941 the Reverend Alaric P. Rose took the morning service in St John's with a congregation of one hundred, whilst shelling continued on the island.
During the Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong
, the cathedral was converted into a club for the Japanese. Many of the original fittings were stripped out, including the original stained glass windows.
On the 9th September 1945, the first service after the arrival of the Royal Navy
was held in the Cathedral. http://www.stjohnscathedral.org.hk/history.html
In 1981, Peter Kwong Kong Kit became the first Chinese Bishop of Hong Kong.
The site of St. John's Cathedral is the only freehold land in Hong Kong
, granted in fee simple
pursuant to s.6(1) of the Church of England Trust Ordinance (Cap.1014). All other land tenure
in Hong Kong is leasehold in nature.
, which was the popular revivalist
style for churches at the time. Along the north wall is a memorial tablet to Captain W.T. Bate RN
, who died fighting in Canton.
The bell tower of the cathedral is decorated with a large "VR" on the west face, in commemoration of the institution's founding during the reign of Queen Victoria. The north and south faces of the tower are decorated with the coats-of-arms of two former Governors of Hong Kong, Sir John Davis
and George Bonham.
The first pew
on the south side of the interior bears the Royal Arms
, as it was formerly reserved for the Governor or any member of the Royal Family
visiting Hong Kong before the Handover in 1997.
in 1921 in memory of the soldiers killed in the First World War. During the Japanese occupation the cross was reduced to a straight granite column. In 1952 it was replaced by a Celtic cross
, with an inscription added to commemorate those who had died in both World Wars. The original bronze tablet with the names of the First World War dead is held inside the cathedral, in the Chapel of St. Michael.
Every year ex-British Army members hold a memorial service at the Memorial Cross.
Beside the Memorial Cross is a tombstone covering the remains of Pte. R.D. Maxwell
, who was killed in Wan Chai
three days before the ceasefire.
Garden Road, Hong Kong
Garden Road is a major road on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, connecting the Central and Mid-levels areas.At its lower end, Garden Road forms a grade-separated intersection with Queensway. For most of its length, Garden Road carries traffic only in the downhill direction. Uphill traffic is carried...
, Central
Central, Hong Kong
Central is the central business district of Hong Kong. It is located in Central and Western District, on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, across Victoria Harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui, the southernmost point of Kowloon Peninsula...
, is an Anglican cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. It is the Diocesan
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
cathedral of the
Diocese of Hong Kong Island
Diocese of Hong Kong Island
The Diocese of Hong Kong Island is one of the three dioceses in Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui . The Diocese comprises the following districts: Islands District, Central and Western District, Wan Chai District, Eastern District and Southern District, as well as Ma Wan and northern Lantau Island in the...
and the focus of the Province of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui ( or SKH; also known as Hong Kong Anglican Church). It also houses the seat of the Archbishop of Hong Kong
Archbishop of Hong Kong
The Archbishop of Hong Kong is the senior bishop, spiritual and moral leader of the Anglican Province of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui. The archbishop is also Primate of Hong Kong , and both incumbents have, coincidentally, also been Bishop of Hong Kong Island...
.
The Anglican cathedral is one of the five cathedrals in the city. Two others are also Anglican, SKH Eastern Kowloon diocesan cathedral of Holy Trinity
Holy Trinity Cathedral, Hong Kong
The Holy Trinity Cathedral, Hong Kong , is an Anglican Christian church situated in Kowloon City, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is the oldest Anglican church in Kowloon and was founded in 1890...
, Kowloon City, and SKH Western Kowloon diocesan cathedral of All Saints. One is Eastern Orthodox, the cathedral on Arbuthnot Road of the ecumenical patriarchate of the Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia
Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia
Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and Southeast Asia is the only church of Eastern Christianity in Hong Kong. It was set up in November 1996 by the decision of the Holy Great Synod of Constantinople...
, and the last is the Roman Catholic Immaculate Conception Cathedral
Immaculate Conception Cathedral of Hong Kong
The Hong Kong Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. It is the seat of the Diocesan bishop, currently John Tong. The Cathedral is one of the two cathedrals in the territory of Hong Kong, the other being the Anglican...
.
St. John's Cathedral is the oldest surviving Western ecclesiastical building in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, and the oldest Anglican church in the Far East, with its first Sunday service on Sunday, 11 March 1849. It was declared a monument of Hong Kong
Declared monuments of Hong Kong
Declared monuments of Hong Kong are places, structures or buildings legally declared to be "protected". In Hong Kong, declaring a monument requires consulting the Antiquities Advisory Board, the approval of the Chief Executive as well as the publication of the notice in government gazette.As of 12...
in 1996. The Cathedral is located at the centre of Power
Separation of powers
The separation of powers, often imprecisely used interchangeably with the trias politica principle, is a model for the governance of a state. The model was first developed in ancient Greece and came into widespread use by the Roman Republic as part of the unmodified Constitution of the Roman Republic...
s of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and is therefore surrounded by the Bank of China Tower, HSBC Building (economic), Legislative Council Building
Legislative Council Building
The Legislative Council Building of Hong Kong, also called the Former Supreme Court Building , was the home of the former Supreme Court until 1985, when it was renamed and became home to the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. Members of the Council and the President have offices in this building...
(legislative), Central Government Offices
Central Government Offices
The Central Government Offices houses the most major offices of the Hong Kong Government. Located in Central in Hong Kong, it occupies the lower level of Government Hill.- History :...
(executive) and the Court of Final Appeal (judicial).
History
On the morning of 8 December 1941, the day after their attack on Pearl HarborPearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, the Japanese attacked Hong Kong. On Christmas morning 1941 the Reverend Alaric P. Rose took the morning service in St John's with a congregation of one hundred, whilst shelling continued on the island.
During the Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong
Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
The Japanese occupation of Hong Kong began after the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Mark Young, surrendered the territory of Hong Kong to Japan on 25 December 1941 after 18 days of fierce fighting by British and Canadian defenders against overwhelming Japanese Imperial forces. The occupation lasted...
, the cathedral was converted into a club for the Japanese. Many of the original fittings were stripped out, including the original stained glass windows.
On the 9th September 1945, the first service after the arrival of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
was held in the Cathedral. http://www.stjohnscathedral.org.hk/history.html
In 1981, Peter Kwong Kong Kit became the first Chinese Bishop of Hong Kong.
The site of St. John's Cathedral is the only freehold land in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, granted in fee simple
Fee simple
In English law, a fee simple is an estate in land, a form of freehold ownership. It is the most common way that real estate is owned in common law countries, and is ordinarily the most complete ownership interest that can be had in real property short of allodial title, which is often reserved...
pursuant to s.6(1) of the Church of England Trust Ordinance (Cap.1014). All other land tenure
Land tenure
Land tenure is the name given, particularly in common law systems, to the legal regime in which land is owned by an individual, who is said to "hold" the land . The sovereign monarch, known as The Crown, held land in its own right. All private owners are either its tenants or sub-tenants...
in Hong Kong is leasehold in nature.
Architecture
The cathedral's architectural style is a plain, unadorned adaptation of 13th century English and Decorated GothicEnglish Gothic architecture
English Gothic is the name of the architectural style that flourished in England from about 1180 until about 1520.-Introduction:As with the Gothic architecture of other parts of Europe, English Gothic is defined by its pointed arches, vaulted roofs, buttresses, large windows, and spires...
, which was the popular revivalist
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style for churches at the time. Along the north wall is a memorial tablet to Captain W.T. Bate RN
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, who died fighting in Canton.
The bell tower of the cathedral is decorated with a large "VR" on the west face, in commemoration of the institution's founding during the reign of Queen Victoria. The north and south faces of the tower are decorated with the coats-of-arms of two former Governors of Hong Kong, Sir John Davis
John Francis Davis
Sir John Francis Davis, 1st Baronet KCB was a British diplomat, Sinologist, and the 2nd Governor of Hong Kong. He was the son of Samuel Davis and nephew to William Thomas Mercer .-Early career:John Davis was appointed writer in East India Company's factory at Canton in 1813...
and George Bonham.
The first pew
Pew
A pew is a long bench seat or enclosed box used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a church, or sometimes in a courtroom.-Overview:Churches were not commonly furnished with permanent pews before the Protestant Reformation...
on the south side of the interior bears the Royal Arms
Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
The Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom is the official coat of arms of the British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. These arms are used by the Queen in her official capacity as monarch of the United Kingdom, and are officially known as her Arms of Dominion...
, as it was formerly reserved for the Governor or any member of the Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
visiting Hong Kong before the Handover in 1997.
War Memorial
Next to the cathedral is a large Memorial Cross, unveiled by Governor Sir Reginald StubbsReginald Edward Stubbs
Sir Reginald Edward Stubbs, GCMG was a British colonial governor, who was once the Governor of Hong Kong...
in 1921 in memory of the soldiers killed in the First World War. During the Japanese occupation the cross was reduced to a straight granite column. In 1952 it was replaced by a Celtic cross
Celtic cross
A Celtic cross is a symbol that combines a cross with a ring surrounding the intersection. In the Celtic Christian world it was combined with the Christian cross and this design was often used for high crosses – a free-standing cross made of stone and often richly decorated...
, with an inscription added to commemorate those who had died in both World Wars. The original bronze tablet with the names of the First World War dead is held inside the cathedral, in the Chapel of St. Michael.
Every year ex-British Army members hold a memorial service at the Memorial Cross.
Beside the Memorial Cross is a tombstone covering the remains of Pte. R.D. Maxwell
Ronald Douglas Maxwell
Ronald Douglas Maxwell was a British soldier during World War II, serving in the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps. He is buried on the grounds of St. John's Cathedral.- Death :...
, who was killed in Wan Chai
Wan Chai
Wan Chai is a metropolitan area situated at the western part of the Wan Chai District on the northern shore of Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. Its other boundaries are Canal Road to the east, Arsenal Street to the west and Bowen Road to the south. The area north of Gloucester Road is often called...
three days before the ceasefire.
Clergy
| Clergy Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of Hong Kong Archbishop of Hong Kong The Archbishop of Hong Kong is the senior bishop, spiritual and moral leader of the Anglican Province of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui. The archbishop is also Primate of Hong Kong , and both incumbents have, coincidentally, also been Bishop of Hong Kong Island... |
The Most Revd Paul Kwong Paul Kwong Paul Kwong is the second Archbishop and Primate of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui and Bishop of the Diocese of Hong Kong Island. He was elected and consecrated the bishop of the Diocese of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui, on December 30, 2005, and March 25, 2006, respectively... |
| Archbishop Emeritus of Hong Kong | The Most Revd Peter Kwong Peter Kwong Peter Kwong Kong-kit, GBS, was the first Archbishop Primate of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui and, in 1998, was named as Bishop of the Diocese of Hong Kong Island.... |
| Dean Dean (religion) A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:... |
The Very Revd Andrew Chan |
| Chaplain Chaplain Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel... |
The Revd Desmond Cox |
| The Revd John Chynchen | |
| The Revd Robert Martin | |
| The Revd Dwight dela Torre | |
| The Revd Mark Rogers | |
| The Revd William Newman | |
| The Revd Jenny Wong Nam | |
| The Revd Peter Douglas Koon | |
| The Revd Hugh Phillipson | |
| The Revd Canon David Pickering | |
| The Revd Nigel Gibson | |
See also
- Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui
- Places of worship in Hong KongPlaces of worship in Hong KongHong Kong counts approximately 600 temples, shrines and monasteries. While Buddhism and Taoism are the most widely practiced religions, most religions are represented in the Special Administrative Region.-Buddhist temples and monasteries:...
- List of cathedrals