A very pleasant walk up through the trees from the road and the bus drop-off to the top of the hill, this cruciform red-brick and granite church is the highlight of the West Hill area. Glorious views range out from the hill over the suburbs of Shànghǎi. The original Holy Mother Cathedral was built here between 1863 and 1866, and the current Basilica of Notre Dame was finished in 1935. All the stained glass was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution and is being restored; the glass in the church at present is film-coated. Nonetheless, the interior is splendidly illuminated when the sun shines in. Every May sees hordes of local Catholics making a pilgrimage to the church, climbing up the hill along the Via Dolorosa from the south gate.
