Holy Rosary Cathedral
Holy Rosary Cathedral, Kaohsiung · Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary · 玫瑰聖母聖殿主教座堂
About
Standing near the bank of the Love River in the centre of Kaohsiung, Holy Rosary Cathedral is the longest-established Catholic church in Taiwan. Its dedication to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary places it within a long Marian devotional tradition particularly cherished by the Dominican order, which brought the Catholic faith to the island in the nineteenth century.
The present neo-Gothic cathedral was completed in the mid-twentieth century, replacing earlier chapels on the site that traced their lineage to the original Spanish Dominican mission. Pointed arches, slender columns, and stained glass shape the worship space, while a statue of the Blessed Virgin holding the Holy Child crowns the central facade.
As the seat of the Archbishop of Kaohsiung, the cathedral serves as the principal gathering church for southern Taiwan's Catholic community. The daily Eucharist, the great feasts of the Lord and the Mother of God, and the prayers of the Holy Rosary that give the church its name continue here without interruption, drawing both regular parishioners and pilgrims from across the country.
History
Fr. Fernando Sainz and Fr. Angel Bofurull of the Dominican Order landed at Kaohsiung on 18 May 1859 and, with a handful of local believers, raised a mission of straw on this site before completing a permanent church of brick, coral, and concrete in 1863. The present Gothic and Romanesque building was rebuilt to its current form between 1928 and 1931, its interior loosely modelled on Manila Cathedral, and Pope John Paul II raised it to the rank of Minor Basilica in 1995.
Significance
As the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Kaohsiung, the church has stood at the centre of Catholic life in southern Taiwan since the diocese's founding in 1961 under its first bishop, Joseph Cheng Tien-siang; his memorial, together with that of Cardinal Paul Shan Kuo-hsi, is kept within the cathedral grounds. Its statue of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, brought from Spain in 1863, remains the focus of the devotion that gives the church its name.
Architecture
Gothic and Romanesque Revival, modelled loosely on Manila Cathedral
Visiting
Daily worship
| Sunday Mass (Mandarin) | 09:00 to | |
| Sunday Mass (English) | 11:00 to | |
| Sunday Mass (Mandarin) | 16:00 to | |
| Vigil Mass (Taiwanese), Saturday | 20:00 to | |
| Weekday Mass, Monday-Saturday | 06:30 to |
Hours
Hours not listed.
Contact
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Seva सेवा — Service
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Sādhana साधना — Practice
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Sandhāna सन्धान — Wisdom
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Festivals & Events
- Invalid Date
Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary
Invalid Date · annual · next: 7 October 2026
The cathedral's patronal feast day, marked with solemn Mass in honour of the Blessed Virgin under her title of the Holy Rosary.
Gallery
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