[4][5] According to Anthony E. Clark in his book Heaven in Conflict: Franciscans and the Boxer Uprising in Shanxi, the church was a "modest Roman Catholic chapel".

[6][7] In 1724, the Yongzheng Emperor proscribed Catholicism in Qing China, and Catholic activities in Taiyuan ceased.

[5] The second church building was built in 1870 by the Italian Franciscan missionary Luigi Moccagatta, who began his office as the apostolic vicar of Shanxi at the same year.

[5] Wang Ying and Li Jin claimed that this church building faced south rather than west.

[8] Twenty-six clergy members, including the apostolic vicar Gregorio Grassi, were killed.

[5][8] In 1985, restoration work was carried out on the cathedral when cracks appeared on the walls due to foundation settlement.

A choir's loft was added above the entrance of the cathedral, and the bell towers were rebuilt.

[3] On 31 December 2005, Archbishop Sylvester Li Jiantang celebrated a mass at the cathedral commemorating the centennial anniversary of the completion of the current church building, with Bishop John Huo Cheng and Bishop John Baptist Wang Jin assisting.

[9] In March 2013, the Chinese State Council listed the cathedral among the seventh batch of "Major National Historical and Cultural Sites".

Wang and Li speculated that the red color symbolizes the central, sacred status of the cathedral and commemorates the believers who died during the Boxer Rebellion.

Wang Ying and Li Jin observed that the capitals of the pillars are decorated in Chinese style.

The seven steps in front of the façade and the sevel-petalled arched windows correspond to the seven Catholic sacraments.

[8] After the cathedral was completed, Fiorentini used the compensation to build other church buildings, including the clergy's office, a dining hall, two gardens, a priory, a convent, a nursery, religious schools for boys and girls, and a printing house of the Salesians of Don Bosco.