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Xujiahui Cathedral under major revamp to restore historic look
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The century-old Xujiahui Cathedral, one of the city’s most iconic buildings, is undergoing a major renovation to restore its historic look, the Xuhui District government said yesterday.
The work started last Monday and will last through August 17 next year during which time the cathedral will be closed, an official with the district government told Shanghai Daily.
It has been closed since August 24 for safety reasons.
Formerly known as the Saint Ignatius Cathedral, the church was once the largest cathedral in the Far East. It was designed by a British architect and built by French businessmen. Construction began in 1906 and was completed in October 1910.
The renovation work will fix a leaky roof and repair damage from wind abrasion. The tiles and wooden floors bitten by termites will also be replaced in the Gothic structure.
“The cathedral has suffered severe leakages while parts of construction material have been falling down, frequently in recent times, disrupting prayers and scaring off visitors,” the cathedral said in a brief statement.
The objective of the project is to restore its historic look from the 1950s, while some new materials will be used to protect the building from rain and wind.
The dome and interior wall will be repainted while the wooden handrails and floors will be stabilized and partly replaced. Some anti-termite paint will be used to protect the building.
Meanwhile, the original brick floors that were replaced by cement during the last renovation in 1991 will be restored. The size and color of the bricks will be the same as in the original floors.
For its exterior decoration, the cross on the bell tower will be repainted and stabilized. The roof will also be changed to the original rock material.
Replacing the tiles will be the biggest part of the renovation project since all the tiles will come from Europe to revive the medieval Gothic look,.
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