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St Francis Xavier Memorial Church

Western Honsh¨±

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Built in 1952 in honour of St Francis Xavier, this church burned down in 1991 and was rebuilt in 1998 with a clinically modern interior and geometric stained-glass windows. Sitting above the town in Kameyama-k¨­en, it resembles a large tent. The ground-floor Christian museum covers the life of Xavier, a Jesuit missionary, and the early history of Christianity in Japan, mostly in Japanese only. Yamaguchi was a major centre of Christian missionary activity before the religion was outlawed in 1589.

Steps opposite the church lead uphill to views of Yamaguchi.

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Nearby Western Honsh¨± attractions

1. Christian Museum

The ground-floor Christian museum in the St Francis Xavier Memorial Church covers the life of the namesake Jesuit missionary and the early history of¡­

2. Yamaguchi Prefectural Art Museum

0.1 MILES

This interesting gallery focuses on the art of the region, with three rooms showing work from its varied permanent collection; leafy grounds featuring¡­

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0.24 MILES

Opened in 1912, this museum's impressive permanent collection includes science and technology, astronomy, natural science and humanities sections.

4. Yamaguchi Furusato Heritage Centre

0.44 MILES

The ground floor of this 1886 sake-merchant building (Manabi-kan; ¤Þ¤Ê¤Óð^) has a small display of local crafts, including some ?uchi dolls (lacquerware¡­

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A wooden shrine dating from 1520, most notable for Gion Matsuri, a festival that opens with the Sagi-mai (Egret Dance) held held here on 20 July each year¡­

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0.6 MILES

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7. °­¨­³ú²¹²Ô-°ì¨­±ð²Ô

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