English: St. Anne's Church at
Boxab, a small town perched at the east slope of
Mount Konka, in the county of
Chagsam,
Garzê Tibetan Prefecture of Western
Sichuan (on the border of Sichuan and
East Tibet). Boxab being the
Tibetan name of this town, which is known in Chinese as Mosimien, Mosymien, or Moxi. The latter is derived from
Rma language, of the
Rrmea people traditionally living in the borderlands of Sichuan,
Tibet, and
Kokonorian Tartary. This small church, at the time belonging to the
Apostolic Vicariate of Tibet (now
Roman Catholic Diocese of Kangding), was initially built as a wooden
chapel by
missionaries of the
Paris Foreign Missions Society at the end of the 19th century, referred to as
chapelle en bois de Mgr Giraudeau (Pierre-Philippe Giraudeau, Apostolic Vicar of Tibet and Tatsienlu). It was falling apart in 1930. The façade, more exposed to the inclement weather of the seasons, was falling into ruins, the building was no longer sufficient for the needs of worship. According to a missionary report, Joseph-Paul Ménard (1889–1932), in charge of the district of Boxab, undertook the task of expanding and restoring the chapel. The plank walls gave way to brick walls and a new façade, in the local Sichuanese-
Tibetan style combined with
neo-Gothic taste, topped with a bell tower, was admired by the
Christian and even non-Christian population. This new church was solemnly blessed on the
Octave of
Saint Anne,
patron saint of the district. See also "
Catholic Church in Sichuan" and "
Catholic Church in Tibet".