Maebashi Catholic Church

A Twin-Towered Church in Maebashi

The Maebashi Catholic Church (前橋カトリック教会聖堂) is a reinforced-concrete church of 1932 in Otemachi, Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on November 20, 2001. It is a twin-towered church facing east, south-east of the prefectural office (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency for Cultural Affairs records it as reinforced concrete, single-storey with a three-storey part, with a slate roof and a building area of 375 square metres; registration number 10-0085, owned by the Catholic Diocese of Saitama.

A Maebashi Landmark

According to the Maebashi Convention and Visitors Bureau, the church began in 1905 when a French priest founded a Catholic church here, and in 1932 the priest Uchino Sakuzo built the present church as "the tallest building in Maebashi".

It was damaged in the wartime air raid on Maebashi but survived, and now tells the story of the city's history (Maebashi Convention and Visitors Bureau).

Why It Was Registered

The Maebashi Catholic Church was registered as a building that has become a model of design. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that it is basically Gothic but shows modern touches, such as the plain walls of the nave and the flat-roofed aisles.

What to Look For

The front of the Maebashi Catholic Church has twin towers, square below and octagonal above (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Inside, it has a nave and two aisles, with an eight-part vault over the nave (Agency for Cultural Affairs): a Gothic ceiling combined with plain walls and flat-roofed aisles.

Visiting the Maebashi Catholic Church

The Maebashi Catholic Church is a working church, and we found no official information on visiting. Please be considerate of Mass and other services. The address is 2-14-6 Otemachi, Maebashi (Maebashi Convention and Visitors Bureau).