Former Latin Seminary

A Seminary of 1875 beside Oura Cathedral

The Former Latin Seminary (旧羅典神学校) is a half-timbered brick seminary of 1875 in Minamiyamatemachi, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture, and was designated an Important Cultural Property on May 15, 1972 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The Agency records a three-storey half-timbered brick building with a basement, roofed in pantiles, with a building area of 232.8 square metres; designation number 01867.

A Seminary beside the Cathedral

The Former Latin Seminary was built beside Oura Cathedral as a three-storey half-timbered brick building with a basement (Agency for Cultural Affairs). It was designed by the French missionary Father Marc Marie de Rotz.

A veranda runs along the front, and only the middle of the third storey rises higher, with stepped roofs before and behind it, an unusual form (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Why It Is an Important Cultural Property

The Agency describes it as a well-known example of half-timbered brick building in Nagasaki.

What to Look For

Look for the veranda along the front and the unusual roof, raised only over the middle of the third storey (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

Visiting

According to the official Oura Cathedral website, the Former Latin Seminary is open with the former archbishop's residence as the Oura Cathedral Kirishitan Museum, from 8:30 to 18:00 (last entry 30 minutes before closing); admission is 1,000 yen for adults. It may close for church events.