St Francis Xavier Memorial Church

Western Honshū

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Built in 1952 in honour of St Francis Xavier, this church burned down in 1991 and was rebuilt in 1998 with a clinically modern interior and geometric stained-glass windows. Sitting above the town in Kameyama-kōen, it resembles a large tent. The ground-floor Christian museum covers the life of Xavier, a Jesuit missionary, and the early history of Christianity in Japan, mostly in Japanese only. Yamaguchi was a major centre of Christian missionary activity before the religion was outlawed in 1589.

Steps opposite the church lead uphill to views of Yamaguchi.

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Nearby Western Honshū attractions

1. Christian Museum

The ground-floor Christian museum in the St Francis Xavier Memorial Church covers the life of the namesake Jesuit missionary and the early history of…

2. Yamaguchi Prefectural Art Museum

0.1 MILES

This interesting gallery focuses on the art of the region, with three rooms showing work from its varied permanent collection; leafy grounds featuring…

3. Yamaguchi Prefectural Museum

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Opened in 1912, this museum's impressive permanent collection includes science and technology, astronomy, natural science and humanities sections.

4. Yamaguchi Furusato Heritage Centre

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The ground floor of this 1886 sake-merchant building (Manabi-kan; まなび館) has a small display of local crafts, including some Ōuchi dolls (lacquerware…

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6. Saikotei

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7. Kōzan-kōen

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