DA QIN PAGODA

Da Qin Pagoda in Zhouzhi, Lou Guan Tai, Shannxi, China is the remnant of the earliest surviving Christian church in China. The church and the monastery were build by the Nestorians in the early 7th century. Persecution of Christians in China led to the abandonment of Da Qin at ca. 845. Much later, in 1300, a Buddhist temple was installed into the pagoda. An earthquake damaged the pagoda severly in 1556 and it was finally abandonned. Due to the earthquake, many of the underground chambers of the complex are no longer reachable.

Inside the pagoda, artistic works in both western and Asiatic style can still be found, among them Jonah at the walls of Nineveh, a nativity scene and Syriac graffiti. Many of these artworks are made from mud and plaster, which suffered during the last centuries from exposure to the elements. Seismic activity and flooding endanger the stability of the pagoda. In 1999, the pagoda's exterior was restored, but overall stability was not improved.