Oura ChurchUnclaimed

Take the Nagasaki Electric Tramway to Shinchi Chinatown, change to a tram for Ishibashi, alight at the Oura Tenshudo stop and walk about 5 minutes. By local bus, the nearest stop is Oura Tenshudo-shita. Glover Garden is only 2-7 minutes' walk away, so the two are easy to visit together.

As the grounds and buildings are a National Treasure, an Important Cultural Property and a prefectural Tangible Cultural Property, making them accessible is difficult, and there are many stairs and steps. We recommend checking the details before you visit.

Oura Church does not currently hold regular Mass, including Sunday Mass. If you wish to attend Mass in Nagasaki, please contact another church in the Catholic Archdiocese of Nagasaki.

Glover Garden is only about 2-7 minutes' walk from Oura Church. Both are in the Minamiyamate area of Nagasaki, and visiting them together is the usual route.

Visitors are admitted 8:00-17:45, all year round. The church may be closed to visitors during Mass and church events such as funerals, so we recommend contacting them in advance.

The Oura Church Christian Museum (official website: christian-museum.jp) occupies the former Latin Seminary building behind and to the right of the church. It displays a large collection of Christian material held by the Catholic Archdiocese of Nagasaki, and entry is included in the church admission.

Built in February 1865, it is the oldest surviving Gothic-style church in Japan. Dedicated to the Twenty-Six Martyrs of Japan, it is also written into world religious history as the setting of the Discovery of the Hidden Christians, when hidden Christians from Urakami declared their faith shortly after its completion. In 1953 it became the first Western-style building in Japan designated a National Treasure.

Some of the stained glass in the church is about 100 years old. Together with the Gothic architecture it creates a solemn atmosphere, and the light coming through is especially beautiful at certain times of day.

It was inscribed on the World Heritage List on 30 June 2018 as part of the Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region. This is a different World Heritage listing from Glover Garden (the former Glover Residence).

Oura Church is still a place of prayer. Please be quiet and respectful of the solemn atmosphere. It may be closed for church events, and it cannot take many visitors at once, so advance contact is recommended, particularly for groups.

Oura Church has no car park of its own. Please use a paid car park nearby. We recommend coming by public transport (tram or bus).

About 5 minutes' walk from the Oura Tenshudo tram stop on the Nagasaki Electric Tramway, or about 5 minutes' walk from the Oura Tenshudo-shita stop on the Nagasaki sightseeing route bus.

5-3 Minamiyamatemachi, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture

Adults 1,000 yen, junior and senior high school students 400 yen, elementary school children 300 yen (please check the official website for current prices).

Open all year.

8:00-17:45 (entry accepted).

Parking is not available.