Tsuwano Catholic Church

The inside of the chapel is covered with tatami mats and is a Gothic-style church with beautiful colorful stained glass windows, built by a German, Schaeffer.

Built in 1890 as a memorial to the martyrs of Christianity, it was rebuilt in 1931 after a fire.
It is registered as a national tangible cultural property.

The church stands out conspicuously in the old streets of Tonomachi. It is illuminated at night.
Adjacent to the temple is the Otome-Toge Exhibition Hall, which houses materials on the martyrdom of the martyrs.

Every year on May 3, the “Otome Pass Festival” is held in memory of the martyrs, with a mass attended by approximately 2,000 people from within and outside of the prefecture, including Christians.

Otome Pass Marian Cathedral
In 1867, a large-scale suppression of hidden Christians occurred, and 153 people from Urakami Village in Nagasaki were sent to the Tsuwano domain.
They arrived at Korinji Temple in Otome Pass and were imprisoned in the main hall. The Tsuwano clan preached to them to convert to Christianity, but no one apostatized, and they were severely tortured by the Tsuwano clan.
In 1873, the prohibition was lifted and the faithful were released and returned to Urakami.
In 1951, Father Paul Nebel built the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Maiden Pass on the site of Korinji Temple, where the torture took place, as a “dedication to the Virgin Mary and the 36 martyrs”.
The stained glass windows in the cathedral depict the tragedy of the time.