12 December: Oura Cathedral 大浦天主堂

The Cathedral faces the Nagasaki port. It's one of the oldest cathedrals left in Nagasaki that witnessed war and the bombing of the city. It was built in the Gothic style and was designated as a National Treasure in 1933.

Beside it was a 'museum' that houses a number of items that reminded visitors of the old days when the dutch arrived and how Christianity came in to Japan.

The 'fusion' of religion and culture was evidently illustrated in some of the religious artefacts. For instance, Guanyin carrying baby Jesus in her arms; at the back of another Buddha statue was a cross. This is amazing.

This is very unlike what we saw in Istanbul where the same building was converted several times, from mosque to church, from church to mosque again - illustrated through the art on the walls and ceilings of the building.

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