Xujiahui Cathedral & Xujiahui Library

徐家汇天主堂

Red-brick twin spires among glass towers, with a grand library next door

⚠ Open to visitors Tue–Sat only

Hours

Visitors Tue–Sat 9am–4pm (last entry 3:30pm); first Friday of the month from 1pm. No tourist entry Mon & Sun; closes at short notice for church events

Tickets

Free; free ticket issued on site against your passport, no booking. English Mass Sundays at noon

Address

158 Puxi Road, Xuhui; Xujiahui Library is at 158 North Caoxi Road

Two red-brick spires shoot up between the glass towers of the Xujiahui shopping district. This is the cathedral of the Shanghai diocese, finished in 1910, and on the lawn below its 57 m bell towers there's usually a wedding shoot in progress. Inside, 64 granite pillars, each a bundle of ten slender columns, line a long nave lit by stained glass. Next door, the Xujiahui Library wraps around the 1872 building of the old Jesuit observatory, and its north balcony looks straight at the twin spires.