• This museum was created inside the Former Latin Seminary and the Former Nagasaki Archbishop’s Building at the historical site “Precincts of Oura Cathedral,” aiming to contribute to enriching the culture relating to Christianity by enhancing public awareness of the value of Oura Cathedral, a component of the World Cultural Heritage Site, and providing an opportunity to learn about the history of the Kirishitan (followers of Christianity) in Japan, from Japan’s encounter with the West, to the period of the ban on Christianity and Hidden Christians, and the discovery of the Hidden Christians.
• The Former Latin Seminary was designed by French missionary priest Father de Rotz and founded in 1875, in order to train Japanese priests. It was constructed out of a solid combination of wood and brick, with white stucco exterior walls. In 1972, it was designated as an Important Cultural Property by the national government.
• The Former Nagasaki Archbishop’s Building was designed by Father de Rotz and constructed in 1915 under the execution supervision of Yosuke Tetsukawa. The building, constructed with a wooden frame and brick walls taking advantage of different elevations on the premises, was designated by Nagasaki Prefecture as a tangible cultural property in 2011.
• On the first floor of the Former Latin Seminary, the museum introduces the history of Oura Cathedral and the seminary, from the period of the prohibition of Christianity and the secret transmission of the faith to the period when the ban on Christianity was lifted.
• On the third floor of the Former Nagasaki Archbishop’s Building, the history of Christianity in Japan is introduced, together with exhibitions with a focus on striking events and key figures. On the second floor, valuable materials and objects, housed by the Archdiocese of Nagasaki, are exhibited under the theme of Nagasaki and Christianity.
• On the first floor of the Former Nagasaki Archbishop’s Building, visitors can obtain a brochure and watch a video introducing the “Hidden Christians Heritage Sites in Nagasaki and the Amakusa Region.” The museum shop PADRE sells original goods.
