Our Lady of China of Meishan - The pontifically crowned image in Taiwan

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In Meishan, a town in Chiayi County surrounded by mountains and cafes, is one of the most significant Marian centers in the Chinese world. Your image of Our Lady of China, dressed according to Chinese imperial iconography and with the Child Jesus, is the first Marian image of Taiwan that received a coronation by the Roman Pontiff.

The Mother of Christ with Chinese face and garments

The advocation of Our Lady of China expresses that Mary's spiritual motherhood also reaches the peoples of Chinese culture. Her iconography deliberately takes local forms: Mary appears as a lady of high dignity, in traditional garments, and presents the Child Jesus to the people.

This inculturation does not make Mary a national divinity or alter the Christian faith. He claims that the Son of God became truly man and can be received, loved and represented in every culture without losing the identity of the Gospel.

Meishan, sanctuary since 1972

The Catholic presence in Meishan precedes the present sanctuary. In 1972, Bishop Matthew Kia Yen- wen raised the local church to the diocesan sanctuary of Our Lady of China. Four years later, the diocese commissioned the image that today focuses on veneration.

For decades, pilgrims from Taiwan and Chinese communities came to Meishan to celebrate the Eucharist, pray the Rosary, ask for families and entrust evangelization and peace. The diocese testifies that the place has been a source of graces and consolidated its pastoral service through a new centre, blessed and opened in May 2024.

The pontifical coronation

At the request of the then Bishop of Chiayi, Thomas Chung An-zu, the Holy See granted the coronation of the image. The decree was issued on 19 February 2021. The solemn celebration took place on 14 August 2022, chaired by Archbishop Thomas Yeh Sheng@-@ nan, former pontifical representative, with the participation of bishops, priests, consecrated and faithful from all over Taiwan.

Canonical coronation is an ecclesial recognition of the veneration rooted around a Marian image. It does not amount to declaring an apparition: it publicly honors the royalty of Mary, which comes from her union with Christ the King, and recognizes the spiritual fruits of devotion.

A place for communion

The diocese conceived the sanctuary and its pastoral center as a house of prayer, retreat and meeting for the various communities of Taiwan: Chinese-speaking faithful, indigenous peoples and migrants. Mary's figure with the Child invites a communion that does not erase cultures, but brings them together in Christ.

In the centenary of China's consecration to the Virgin, held in 2024, Meishan renewed this intention: to entrust the Church, the families and the reconciliation of peoples to the Mother of God, always guiding devotion to Jesus Christ.

Verified location

The diocese of Chiayi publishes address 3, Shejiao Road, Meishan Township, Chiayi County. The individual cartographic link included in your official file places the building in 23.578043, 120.5608976. The marker corresponds to the church and sanctuary, not to the generic center of Meishan.

Prayer to Our Lady of China of Meishan

Our Lady of China, Mother of God and our Mother, presents your Son to all peoples of Chinese culture. It protects the Church, strengthens families, accompanies those who live far from their home and reaches reconciliation among nations. From your sanctuary in Meishan, teach us to receive the Gospel with a truly open heart and to serve Christ in our brothers. Amen.

Sources consulted

• Diocese of Chiayi: official record, direction and map of the sanctuary.
• Diocese of Chiayi: inauguration of the pastoral center and uniqueness of the crowned image.
• Diocese of Chiayi: pilgrimage and explanation of the pontifical coronation.
• Diocesan bulletin of Chiayi: preparation of the coronation of 2022 and history of the sanctuary.
• Catholic Weekly of Taiwan: fifty years of the sanctuary and opening of the pastoral center.
• China Regional Episcopal Conference: Centenary, Decree and Coronation of the Image.

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