CATHEDRAL OF ST JOHN
THE EVANGELIST
HONG KONG ANGLICAN
PAUL SCOTT
The red numbers on this plan of St John’s Cathedral indicate the route we shall take in exploring this building. The small black numbers refer to notes in the Cathedral pamphlet ‘A Historical Tour’ from where this plan is taken.
A brief history of the Cathedral is given below. However, if you want to begin your tour of the Cathedral immediately, tap / click on START . You can also access intermediate points in the tour by a tap / click on the following links:
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HISTORY
[Wikipedia]
The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Evangelist is the cathedral of the Diocese of Hong Kong Island, and mother church to the Province of Hong Kong and Macao. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Hong Kong.
At Garden Road, Central, the Cathedral is located in a prime central position, surrounded by the Bank of China Tower, HSBC Building, Legislative Council Building, Former Central Government Offices, and the Court of Final Appeal.
St John's Cathedral is one of the five cathedrals in Hong Kong. The others are Holy Trinity Cathedral (Anglican), All Saints’ Cathedral (Anglican), St Luke Orthodox Cathedral (Eastern Orthodox), and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Roman Catholic).
History
St John’s Cathedral held its first Sunday service on Sunday, 11 March 1849.
On the morning of 8 December 1941, the day after their attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese attacked Hong Kong. On Christmas morning 1941 the Reverend Alaric P. Rose took the morning service in St John's with a congregation of one hundred, while shelling continued on the island.
During the Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong, the cathedral was converted into a club for the Japanese. Many of the original fittings were stripped out, including the original stained glass windows, which had been created by William Morris' firm.
On 9 September 1945, the first service after the arrival of the Royal Navy was held in the Cathedral.
In 1981, Peter Kwong became the first Chinese Bishop of Hong Kong.
The site of St John’s Cathedral is the only freehold land in Hong Kong, granted in fee simple pursuant to s.6(1) of the Church of England Trust Ordinance (Cap.1014) of 1930. All other land tenure in Hong Kong is leasehold in nature.
On 5 June 2012, there was a service of thanksgiving at the Cathedral in honour of the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_John%27s_Cathedral_(Hong_Kong)
