St. Michael's Cathedral, Qingdao

St. Michael's Cathedral, also known as the Zhejiang Road Catholic Church, is a Catholic church in the oldest part of Qingdao, Shandong Province. It stands at the top of a hill in the center of the old German-built district, at 15 Zhejiang Road. Built by German missionaries, it is the largest example of Romanesque Revival architecture in the province, resembling a 12th-century German cathedral.

Don't miss

• Romanesque Revival architecture, the largest example in Shandong Province
• Spire roofs on the twin towers, changed from the original bell-shaped design to reduce costs
• Latin inscription over the tomb of Bishop Georg Weig, stating the cathedral was consecrated to St. Michael the Archangel in 1934
• Location at the top of a hill in the center of the old German-built part of Qingdao

Getting there

Know before you go

• The cathedral stands at the top of a hill in the center of the old German-built part of Qingdao.
• It is located at 15 Zhejiang Road, on the east side of Zhongshan Road in Shinan District.

A bit of history

The cathedral was built by the Divine Word Missionaries, a German Catholic missionary society. Construction began on May 5, 1931, and was finished in 1934, with the cathedral consecrated on October 28 that year. During the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) it was defaced and abandoned, but was repaired by the government and reopened for services in 1981. In 1992 it was listed as a Provincial Historic Building by the government of Shandong Province.