Tainoura Church

Tainoura Catholic Church occupies a pivotal place in the religious geography of the Goto Islands. Established by migrants from the Shitsu district of Sotome, the community endured the “Goto Kuzure” persecution before becoming the primary pastoral base for all of Kamigoto following the arrival of Father Brel in 1880. The site consists of two distinct structures: the historic old church situated on the hillside and the modern cathedral built below it in 1979.

The Old Tainoura Church (built in 1903) carries the scars and symbols of 20th-century history. Near the end of World War II, the building was requisitioned by the Imperial Japanese Navy. Following the war, the return of demobilized soldiers swelled the congregation, leading to a significant expansion in 1949. During this renovation, a brick bell tower was added to the facade. In a powerful gesture of solidarity and remembrance, bricks from the ruins of Nagasaki’s Urakami Cathedral, which had been destroyed by the atomic bomb, were incorporated into this tower.

The Lourdes Grotto was completed in 1963. On December 8 of that year, a solemn blessing ceremony was held, during which water brought from Lourdes, France, was poured into the grotto. The ceremony was attended by the Vicar of Nagasaki, Fr. Furukawa Jukichi.

Furthermore, in December 1985, a natural spring was discovered at the foot of the mountain. Through water pressure, the spring now flows at the base of the Grotto, the site where the Virgin Mary is believed to have appeared. Throughout the year, many pilgrims and visitors come to this sacred place, where the flowing water offers comfort and renewal for both body and spirit.

Today, the old church serves as a library and community space, while the new 1979 cathedral handles the daily spiritual needs of the parish. The site remains a rare bridge between the era of the Hidden Christians and the global tragedy of the Second World War.