Father Petitjean is buried within Oura Cathedral. In ancient and medieval Europe, churches were both places of prayer and places to be buried. People often used to be buried under the church or in a crypt. In European churches, tombstones are often inserted into the wall.

Petitjean forced himself to do missionary work despite having a chronic health problem. He energetically raised funds for the church’s construction, but on October 7th 1884, he died. Bidding farewell to his fellow priests (who were at his deathbed), he quietly breathed his last. Petitjean had spent his life working to bring about a revival of the Christian faith in Japan, and by training Japanese priests and theology students, he had sown the seeds of future missionary work in Japan. His corpse was buried under the floor in front of the central altar. It was the place where he had knelt and prayed “Lord, let me meet the Hidden Christians”, at the very moment when the Hidden Christians came to Oura to confess their faith.