A History Timeline

1550	Francisco Xavier and others who came to mission in Japan attempt to gain an audience with the Emperor, but are unable to.
1560	After Jesuit missionary Francisco Xavier leaves Japan, a Japanese Jesuit who continued missionary work in the country, receives permission from the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiki to open a church on Shijo in Kyoto.
1587	A missionary expulsion order is issued, but missionary work continues secretly.
1596	Again an order is issued for the capture and imprisonment of Franciscan missionaries and all Christians living in Kyoto. A total of 24 people in Osaka and Kyoto, 7 Franciscan members, 3 Jesuit officials and 14 faithful lay members of the church are captured, their left earlobes are cut off at Horikawa Doujya Ichijo Bridge, and they are paraded around the city.
1597	An order to execute the 24 people in Nagasaki is issued so they are marched to Nagasaki from Kyoto. Two more Christians joined them along the way, and so a total of 26 Kyoto area Christians are executed in Nagasaki.
1612	An order to destroy all denominations of Christians is issued, and various other churches in the vicinity of Kyoto are destroyed.
1619	On October 6, near Kamogawa, 52 believers are martyred. They are burned to death. Eleven of them are children.
1866	A French Foreign Missionary who learns about the history of the martyrdom in Japan makes a bronze statue of the Madonna. The statue is gifted to the church of Kyoto for installation on a hill overlooking the city but it is buried in the Higashiyama Shogun’s mound by Father Vigreux to keep it safe from destruction.
1873	The Prohibition against Christianity is abolished.
1879	Father Virion of the Paris Foreign Mission arrives in the city and recovers the “Our Lady of the City” statue. Father Virion rents a house at Takakura Nijo, opens a French language school, uses the place as a temporary cathedral and resumes his missionary work.
1881	The temporary cathedral is moved to the main business district of town.
1882	The temporary cathedral is moved to Sanjo Takakura.
1888	Purchase of the land and the mansion at the location of the present Kawaramachi church. Construction of the original church is begun.
1889	On July 25, the foundation ceremony is held at Saint Francis Xavier Church.
1890	On May 1st, the dedication ceremony of the Saint Francis Xavier church is held.
1930	The 50th anniversary celebration of the Kyoto mission is held.
1937	The Kyoto Apostolic Prefecture is newly established from the Osaka Diocese. It’s jurisdiction includes the prefectures of Nara, Mie and Shiga, along with the Prefecture of Kyoto.
1951	The Kyoto Apostolic Prefecture becomes the current Kyoto Diocese and the Catholic Kawaramachi Church becomes the Cathedral of the Bishop of Kyoto.
1967	A new cathedral is erected. (The old church is moved to Meiji village in Inuyama City, Aichi Prefecture, and is currently preserved as a National Cultural asset).
1980	The 100th anniversary of the Kyoto mission church is held.
2017	The 50th anniversary commemorative mass of the new cathedral is held.