A Church Front Like a Mountain Range
The Okaya Saint Barnabas Church (Nippon Sei Ko Kai Chubu Diocese) (日本聖公会中部教区岡谷聖バルナバ教会) is a single-nave timber church of 1928 in Honcho, Okaya City, Nagano Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on March 29, 2019 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a timber church, single-storey with a partial upper floor, roofed in metal sheet, with a building area of 121 square metres, enlarged in 1964 and renovated in 2013; registration number 20-539.
A Front Like a Line of Peaks
Okaya Saint Barnabas Church of the Chubu Diocese of the Nippon Sei Ko Kai (the Anglican Church in Japan) is a single-nave timber church in the centre of Okaya (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Entered at the gable end, it has a gabled porch at the centre of its south front, flanked by projections with sweeping roofs, so that the front reads like a line of mountain peaks.
Japanese elements are woven in, such as temple-style decoration in the porch gable and tatami matting for the congregation's seating (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency registered it for its contribution to the historic landscape, as a church of distinctive form rooted in its community.
What to Look For
Notice the peaked outline of the front and the temple-style ornament in the porch gable (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
It is an active church of the Chubu Diocese of the Nippon Sei Ko Kai, and no official information on visiting was found.
Q&A
- When was Okaya Saint Barnabas Church built?
- In 1928 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- What is special about Okaya Saint Barnabas Church?
- Its peaked front and Japanese touches such as tatami seating.
- Where is Okaya Saint Barnabas Church?
- In Honcho, in the centre of Okaya, Nagano Prefecture.
- Can I visit Okaya Saint Barnabas Church?
- No official visiting information was found.
- When was the Okaya Saint Barnabas Church (Nippon Sei Ko Kai Chubu Diocese) registered?
- On March 29, 2019 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Okaya Saint Barnabas Church (Nippon Sei Ko Kai Chubu Diocese) (日本聖公会中部教区岡谷聖バルナバ教会) |
|---|---|
| Location | 4840-2 Honcho 4-chome, Okaya City, Nagano Prefecture, and other lots |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2019/03/29 (Heisei 31) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Timber, single storey with partial upper floor, metal roof, 121 m² |
| Owner | Chubu Diocese, Nippon Sei Ko Kai |
| Public Access | Active church (no visiting information) |
References
- Okaya Saint Barnabas Church (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00012735
Last verified: 2026.10.16