Wanjin Catholic Church

Founded in 1863 by a Spanish-Dominican missionary, Wanjin Catholic Church located in Pingtung is known to be the oldest Catholic church in Taiwan. In 1984, Pope John Paul II declared the church to be a basilica minore, which then made it to the world stage. Within the Holy Mother Park, a plumeria tree has been standing as long as the church itself, and over the years, it has also witnessed two significant festivities of a Catholic church — the parade of the Holy Mother and the Christmas celebrations.

The Wanjin Catholic Church has two towers on the front with a church bell suspended in the bell-cot at the apex of the nave roof, which is said to be delivered all the way from Spain at the very beginning of its establishment. Having been in use for more than a century, the sizable palanquin with the Holy Mother sitting within is paraded through the streets of Pingtung on the second Sunday of December, and this grand celebration is no doubt a perfect combination of the East and the West. To make it a festive celebration, the local government even puts on a 3D light show as well as the main display of a Christmas tree that will dazzle throughout the holiday season.