Roman Catholicism was introduced into Ningyuan, land of the Nosu tribes, in the 18th century. The French missionary Jean de Guébriant [fr] was put in charge of the evangelistic work in this region by Paris Foreign Missions Society since 1903.[3] Under Guébriant's supervision, construction of the Cathedral of the Angels started in 1908. The structure consisted of the cathedral, a bell tower, a courtyard and episcopal residence. It was not completed until 1912. The architectural form was inspired by Romanesque Revival architecture, blended with conspicuous traditional style developed in Sichuan, as visible on the "flying cornices" on the top of the cathedral's façade, which are distinct from those found in other provinces of China.[4]
The bell tower was built on the east side of the cathedral with a cross on the top, which originally housed a bell cast in France. The bell tower was destroyed in 1968 during the sociopolitical purge movement of Cultural Revolution.[4]
^ abGao, Xingwen (December 20, 2010). "永安公：老街上的另一种建筑" [Yong'angong Church: A Distinctive Building on the Old Street]. Faith Weekly (in Simplified Chinese). Shijiazhuang. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
