The Moore Memorial Church

The Moore Memorial Church, also known as Mu'en Church, is located on Xizang Zhong Lu, in the middle of department stores right across from People's Square. Built by the only Shanghai-based architect anyone knows, Laszlo Hudec, to house an estimated 1,000 worshippers, the Church was completed in 1931. It has built up a local membership that numbers in the thousands since reopening in 1979, after its closure during the Cultural Revolution. It's now a non-denominational church.

Built in 1931, Moore Memorial Church was originally named just Moore Church. It was designed by Laszlo Hudec, a representative figure of Neo-Gothic architecture. The church remains open to the public every Sunday and hosts religious rituals during Easter and Christmas. The church features exterior walls built with vintage red bricks, window headers inlaid with cornerstones and wooden garbled roofs, and its square layout fosters a simple but mysterious atmosphere. The pointed arch decorated with cement lumps creates a sense of

solemnity and mystery. Sunlight penetrates its tall yellow stained-glass windows, lighting up murals depicting stories from the Bible. In such an environment, one can easily find calm and inner peace.