The Jesuit priest Francis Xavier (1503-1552) arrived in the port of Kagoshima in 1549. Xavier was the first Jesuit missionary to come to Japan and he was to spend more than two years in the country.
Xavier Park in Kagoshima commemorates the stay of Xavier and his Japanese disciples Anjiro (Paulo de Santa Fé) and Bernardo in the city, the latter possibly the first Japanese ever to visit Europe.
Xavier Park is actually the remains of the first stone church built in the Meiji Period, which was largely destroyed by World War II bombing.
The space is occupied by a few surviving walls of the original church and statues of Xavier, Anjiro and Bernardo.
Xavier Koen is a stop on the Kagoshima regular sightseeing bus from Kagoshima Chuo Station. It is located at the junction of Nikanbashi Dori and Sengokubaba Dori.
There is another Xavier Park in Sakai near Osaka.
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Japan
Kyushu
Kagoshima
Francis Xavier
Japanese history
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