What to know
The St. Francis Xavier Memorial Church (サビエル記念聖堂, Sabieru Kinen Seidō) honors the Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier, who spread Christianity across Asia in the 1500s. In 1550, seven years after the first Europeans arrived in Japan, Xavier journeyed from Kagoshima to Kyoto. Along the way, he spent several months in Yamaguchi, a city he preferred over the war-torn ancient capital.
Built in 1952, the church was destroyed by fire in 1991 and rebuilt in 1998. Visitors can explore the modern, artistically designed interior. The ground floor houses a museum displaying Christian paintings, statues, medallions, clothing, and other religious artifacts, along with old maps showing the growth of Christianity in Japan and Xavier's travel route.
The St. Francis Xavier Memorial Church is about 1.3 kilometers northwest of Yamaguchi Station, reachable on foot (15–20 minutes) or by rental bicycles available outside the station (300 yen for two hours, 700 yen for the full day).
Visitor information
Practical details to check before planning this stop.
- Hours
- 9:00 to 17:00 (museum: 10:00 to 16:00)
- Closed
- No closing days
- Admission
- Free, but donations are encouraged (museum: 200 yen (~$1.28))
- English name
- Original name
- St. Francis Xavier Memorial Church
Verify details before visiting. Currency conversion is indicative and may vary over time.