Ishinomaki Saint John the Apostle Orthodox Church
Ishinomaki, Japan
Open to visitors
The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.
Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.
Ishinomaki Saint John the Apostle Orthodox Church, located in Ishinomaki, Miyagi, in Japan's Tōhoku region, is the oldest existing wooden church building in Japan. Built in 1880 following the baptism of local converts by disciples of Ivan Dmitrievich Kasatkin (who established the Japanese Orthodox Church in Tokyo during the early Meiji period), the structure reflects Byzantine Revival architecture adapted to Japanese practice. The cross-shaped building features a whitewashed exterior with a columned octagonal portico typical of Western-influenced Meiji-era design. Inside, the first floor contains a tatami-mat meeting room connected by steep staircase to the second-floor sanctuary, which is carpeted and houses the church's main liturgical space. The architect remains unknown, possibly a local parishioner. After sustaining damage in the 1978 Miyagi earthquake, the church was reconstructed on an island in the Kitakami River within a park containing the Ishinomori Manga Museum. Designated an Important Cultural Property of Ishinomaki City in 1990 and opened publicly in 2001, it was severely damaged again during the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami but fully restored by 2016.
Movement
- Built
- Type
- church building
- Place
- Ishinomaki, Japan
This building on
- WikidataIshinomaki Saint John the Apostle Orthodox Church↗
- WikipediaIshinomaki Saint John the Apostle Orthodox Church↗
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Location