St. Sophia Church in Harbin

Now a museum of the multicultural architecture in Harbin.

The building of St. Sophia began in September 1923 and was completed nine years later in 1932. At that time, many Chinese believed that the church would damage the local feng-shui, so they donated money to build what is now the largest Buddhist group of buildings in Heilongjiang – the Ji Le Temple in 1921.

St. Sophia Church was consecrated on the 12th of December, 1932. It was the largest Orthodox Church building in the Far East then and it remains so till this day. There were more than 15 Orthodox churches in addition to 2 cemeteries until 1949. The communist revolution and the subsequent Cultural Revolution saw many of them destroyed. Now, about 10 churches remain standing – while only in one are services held.

St. Sophia Church was renovated in 1997, and since then it has been used as a showcase of the multicultural architecture and art in Harbin. It is located at 95 Toulong Street in the central district of Daoli.