Catholic Tourist

Parish Church · Japan

Shitsu Village and Church

Sotome, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan

Archaeological SiteParish ChurchHidden Christians collectionCatholic

Why pilgrims come

A sacred place worth the journey.

A Hidden Christian village in the Sotome district where Catholic communities returned openly after the prohibition ended. Shitsu Church and the work of Fr. Marc Marie de Rotz embody that renewal.

TraditionCatholic

The pilgrim’s guide

What makes this visit meaningful

Travel into Sotome to see how a clandestine Christian community became an open Catholic parish and how faith shaped the village after religious freedom returned.

01

A hidden community

Families in the Sotome area preserved Christian practice during the long prohibition.

02

Return to Catholic life

After the ban was lifted, the community joined the Catholic Church and built an enduring parish life.

03

The work of Fr. de Rotz

Church, welfare and village institutions recall the missionary’s pastoral and practical service.

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