Sakitsu is a peaceful fishing village now, but this “hidden Christians’ village” survived the era of persecutions. Sakitsu Church is at the center of the village with a Gothic-style tower standing tall.
In the Meiji Period, anti Christian law was abolished in 1873, and residents went back to practicing Catholic faith. In 1888, a wooden Sakitsu Church was built. As the building got old, a French missionary, Father Halbout, led the building of a new western-style church which stands today. This is where the former village headman Yoshida’s residence used to stand. The government gave people a test here to step on a Jesus picture to find Christians, and the trial spot is where the altar is built. Nagasaki’s chief carpenter, Yosuke Tetsukawa, constructed it. Due to its coastal location, it is also called the “Cathedral by the Sea.”
The interior is adorned with stained glasses. The floor doesn’t have benches but rare tatami mattresses. Touring inside requires a reservation. When the church has events, a tour is not offered.
Sakitsu Village was registered as a World Heritage in 2018 as a “Latent Christians' heritages in Nagasaki and Amakusa region.”
