25‏/07‏/2012

Utsunomiya’s Matsugamine Church

A beautiful place of worship constructed in 1932

By Tomoko Kamishima

Community writer

Max Hinder effectively used Ohya Stone on the walls

The frog decoration works as a drainage spout when it rains

Matsugamine Church was completed in 1932

The pillars are finished with Ohya Stone as well

Constructed in 1932, the Catholic Matsugamine Church is the oldest and largest surviving building made of Ohya-ishi (Ohya Stone). The designer was Swiss architect Max Hinder who lived in Japan for 16 years. He was also designed Sophia University and St. Mary Hospital in Tokyo. This church looks soft and elegant. A frog decoration near the tower works as a drainage spout when it rains. During typhoons, rainwater flows out from a mouth of the frog as if it were a waterfall. The inside of the church is even more beautiful. The pillars and inner sanctuary are finished with Ohya Stone, creating a full, warm feeling.