St. Joseph Cathedral (Chinese: 圣若瑟主教座堂; pinyin: Shèng Ruòsè Zhǔjiào Zuòtáng), also known as the Xikai Church (Chinese: 西開堂; pinyin: Xikāi Táng),[1] is a Roman Catholic church located in the central commercial district and former French concession of Tianjin, China.
Tianjin's Bishop House was located near the Hai River in the Wanghailou Church, and the first apostolic vicar was Paul-Marie Dumond of the Congregation of the Mission.
Xikai is northern China's largest Romanesque church, with an area of 1891.95 square meters and can accommodate 1,500 people.
The giant dome has a "product" shape with a green copper surface on the outside, supported by a wood structure and topped with a bronze cross.
Xikai's walls are checkered with red and yellow tiles and framed with white water masonry.
[9] The long main hall is lined by 14 large columns (two rows of seven), leading to a gallery-style tee.
The English speaking parish,[14] started in 2007 by Joseph Loftus, celebrates at 11:30am every Sunday, with special Masses around certain holidays.
More specifically, the Xikai English parish has developed partnerships to help with Tianjin's local Huiling Orphanage[15] and TICCO.