Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception of Ohura

Advocación mariana de Nagasaki (Imaki)

The church of Ōura, officially Church of the Immaculate Conception (♪), was built by the missionaries of the foreign missions of Paris and is considered the oldest wooden church in Japanconcluded and consecrated in 1864. It was erected in Nagasaki in memory of the Twenty-six martyrs crucified in 1597whose hill is seen from the temple. It is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Maryin the context of the missionary revival following the restoration of contacts between Japan and the West in the 19th century.

Main data

Origin and history

The church of Ōura, officially Church of the Immaculate Conception (♪), was built by the missionaries of the foreign missions of Paris and is considered the oldest wooden church in Japanconcluded and consecrated in 1864. It was erected in Nagasaki in memory of the Twenty-six martyrs crucified in 1597whose hill is seen from the temple. It is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Maryin the context of the missionary revival following the restoration of contacts between Japan and the West in the 19th century.

17 March 1865 there was the famous "discovery of the hidden Christians» (kakure kirishitan). That day, a group of peasants from the nearby district of Urakami He secretly approached the French priest P. Bernard‐Thadée Petitjean and, having discreetly checked his position as a priest, he revealed to him that, after 250 years without clergy and under persecution, continued to preserve the faith and honor "Santa Maria". This fact, historically documented by missionary sources, is considered a decisive event in the history of Christianity in Japan and was later recognized by several pontiffs as an extraordinary sign of fidelity to the faith.

Local tradition has surrounded this meeting of pious details (such as exact expressions, gestures or dialogues) that are not always written in the first reports. In some devotional accounts, almost literal words of the peasants are narrated ("all here have the same heart as yours" or similar expressions) whose concrete formulation belongs more to the field of tradition than to the documented story. When they do not appear in the contemporary documents of the missionaries, these details should be considered Pious beautieswithout this subtracting anything to the historicity of the central fact: the group of hidden Christians who identified themselves as Catholic before Father Petitjean in the church of Ōura in 1865.

In recognition of its historical and religious value, the church of Ōura was declared National Treasury of Japan and is part of the set of Christian sites of Nagasaki registered as World Heritage Site by UNESCO, in the list of "Christian sites hidden in the Nagasaki region," which testify to the faith of these clandestine communities.

The image and the sanctuary

The advocation is venerated in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, popularly known as ♪, located in the city of Nagasaki (prefecture of Nagasaki, Japan). The temple is a iglesia católica de rito Latin, originalmente de woodwith style architecture European neogotic adapted, characterized by its slender tower and its simple ship, which make it one of the oldest examples of Christian architecture in Japan. It was built by Japanese artisans under the direction of the French missionaries, which explains the combination of local techniques with Western forms.

The church is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and within them are venerated Marian images of a Western type, typical of the Catholic piety of the 19th century. However, in the sources consulted there is no precise detailed description of a specific headline image (material, author or exact source) specifically linked to the title of Ōura: therefore, on these extremes no consta specific and verifiable information. The identity of the sanctuary is based mainly on the liturgical dedication to the Immaculate and in the event of the discovery of the hidden Christians, rather than in a single unique image.

Although Nagasaki also has the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of Urakami, linked to the well-known image damaged by the atomic bomb ("Virgen de Urakami" or "Hibaku no María"), this image belongs to the catedral de Urakami and not to the church of Ōura. It is appropriate not to confuse both realities: the advocation treated here refers to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception of Ohura, primarily associated with the church of Ōura and the episode of the hidden Christians.

As for the rank of the temple, the church of Ōura is also known as Basilica of the Martyr Veintiles, but the accessible documentation does not clearly and verifiable elevation to lower basilica by pontifical decree, with a date and a pontiff indicated. In the absence of explicit reference from official sources, it should be noted that the canon title of minor basilica is not safely recorded, although the devotional use of the name "basilica" is widespread in some areas. Yes, it does. National Treasury and its inclusion in the World Heritage, which confirms its historical and religious importance.

Sponsorship and coronation

La Immaculate Conception of Ohura is closely linked to the town of Nagasaki and, in a broad sense, to the history of the Church in Japanespecially because of the discovery of the hidden Christians. However, in the documentation consulted no consta there is a formal decree of canonical patronage who officially declare her patron of the city, prefecture or archdiocese, beyond the evident centrality of the Immaculate in the spirituality of Nagasaki (as also shown by the cathedral of Urakami, also dedicated to the Immaculate).

On a canonical coronation of the image of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception of Ohura, made on behalf of the Pope or by pontifical delegation, does not contain a documented canonical coronation. The available sources on the church of Ōura, its restorations and its heritage recognition do not mention an act of canonical coronation with certain date and pontifical authority.

Party and devotion

Being dedicated to the Immaculate Conceptionthe main feast of this advocation is celebrated 8 December, in line with the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church of Latin rite. This day is a special solemnity in Nagasaki, where the figure of the Immaculate is deeply rooted in both the cathedral of Urakami and the church of Ōura, and is celebrated with the Holy Mass and other liturgical acts of the solemnity.

In addition to the feast of the Immaculate, the church of Ōura is of great devotional importance around the 17 March, date of discovery of the hidden Christians, which is often remembered as a milestone in the history of faith in Japan. Although there is no detailed schedule of pilgrimages organized at national level in the sources consulted, the World Heritage Site y de emblematic place of Japanese Christianity makes the church receive a constant flow of visitors, both pilgrims and tourists, Japanese and foreign.

The Catholic communities of Nagasaki and other parts of the country consider it a symbol of perseverance in faith y de Marian fidelity. The memory of the of 1597 y la de los kakure kirishitan They are intertwined in devotion, underlining the role of the Virgin Mary as a Mother who accompanies the Church in persecution and trial. Devotional features are especially expressed in participation in the Eucharist, silent prayer, guided tours that include explicit references to the history of faith and the respectful veneration of historical relics.